


The Equestrian Wind Mage

by LordSiravant



Series: The Equestrian Wind Mage Series [1]
Category: Legend of Zelda, My Little Pony
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-23 15:18:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 61,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4881727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordSiravant/pseuds/LordSiravant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vaati the Wind Mage, plague of Hyrule, has grown bored of his life as a villain. Seeking a way to escape, an attempt to flee his inevitable final battle with the Hero of Hyrule has unforeseen consequences for the sorcerer, leaving him stranded in a world not his own.</p>
<p>A world called Equestria.</p>
<p>Will the Sorcerer of Winds adapt to his new life in a land where friendship is magic? Or will the dark secrets of his past catch up with him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Episode 1: Welcome to Equestria

### Episode 1: Welcome to Equestria

It had started out the same as it always had. He'd escape his imprisonment, capture the princess and hide in the Palace of Winds, and the chosen hero would come to save her. Vaati had already been through this cycle three times already. He was starting to get tired of it. As he stood in his personal chambers, awaiting the hero, who was currently cutting a swath through a few Darknuts a few rooms over, Vaati the Wind Mage pondered. Princess Zelda hovered above him, encased in a crystal meant as both prison and protection, as Vaati didn't want the palace monsters to get any uncouth ideas.

Zelda couldn't help but notice how quiet Vaati was. Usually he would be boasting right about now about how Link was about to walk into a death-trap, but Vaati had been unusually quiet over the past few days. The princess studied her preoccupied captor intently, watching as the deceptively young-looking Hylian man with long lavender hair, pale skin, purple tunic, cap, and cape, and red eyes stared absent-mindedly out the window of his palace.

Under normal circumstances, Zelda wouldn't mind the quiet. But this was just so unusual for Vaati, and like it or not, Zelda was starting to feel nervous. But before she could open her mouth and inquire as to Vaati's state, the Wind Mage spoke. "Do you ever feel like your life has become redundant? Like your whole existence is just a broken record?"

Zelda quickly shook off her surprise and put up a mask of indifference. "I suppose. No help to you, that is."

Vaati chuckled, but kept his gaze focused on the window. "You know very well it's not my fault alone."

Zelda immediately knew Vaati was referring to the infamous Golden Trio Cycle, the endless fight against Ganon. Vaati solemnly shook his head. "This cycle we find ourselves trapped in…it's almost the same thing, isn't it?"

"You're the one who continuously kidnaps the princess whenever you escape from the Four Sword."

Finally Vaati glanced upward at her. "Ah, I suppose you're right, princess."

"If this…cycle…bothers you so much, why did you kidnap me and set everything in motion again?"

Vaati thought for a moment, gazing back out the window at the impressive view of the world the Palace commanded. "A force of habit, I guess. It's what I've always done, what I've grown comfortable doing. Besides, it's often rather lonely living here at the Palace."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "What about the monsters you keep around here?"

Vaati scoffed. "Please. I can hardly call my buffoonish servants acceptable company. The Stalfos and Moblins are utterly stupid, Wizzrobes usually spend their free time studying magic in my library, and the Darknuts keep to themselves save for when I give them orders. I can't help but find myself lonely in the crowd."

Zelda was about to scoff, but then stopped herself. With a jolt of surprise, she realized she knew exactly how that felt. After all, being princess, she had to put up with greedy, stuffed-shirt bureaucrats constantly needling her father for favors, as well as the various castle servants whose existence centered around pleasing the Royal Family and nothing else. "I…know how that feels," she whispered.

"I'm certain you do," Vaati replied, his sharp hearing catching her words. "Perhaps that's what it means to be a ruler."

"I'd hardly call you a ruler, Vaati," Zelda huffed.

"I am sole master of the Palace of Winds. Is that not adequate?"

Zelda went quiet. "This cycle…I'm tired of it," Vaati said. "I'm tired of my life being on constant repeat, fighting a battle I consistently lose."

"Are you telling me you've lost confidence in yourself?" Zelda asked, trying to sound sarcastic but was actually quite curious.

Vaati shook his head. "Hardly. But being alive for so long…even if the majority of it has been spent imprisoned inside a magic sword, has given me time to think. After all, it's virtually all I can do while waiting for the seal to weaken."

Suddenly a small orb with a single white eye and bat-like wings flitted over to Vaati, squeaking frantically. One of Vaati's Eye Sentries, Zelda surmised. That could only mean Link was getting closer. Vaati nodded his head and dismissed the Sentry with an idle wave of his hand. "It seems we'll have to cut this conversation short, Princess," he notified in a slightly weary tone. "Your knight in green clothes is just moments from barging in and causing another scene. Just know this, Zelda…"

Vaati stared at her with those ruby red eyes of his, his expression a look of quiet acceptance. "Whatever happens, things will be different from now on."

As if on cue, the chamber doors swung open, revealing four dirty, scuffed, and irate boys identical to each other save for different-colored tunics. Each of them wielded copies of the Four Sword. The green boy stepped in front of the group and pointed his sword at Vaati, who just put on a smug face as his nemeses challenged him. "Vaati! Step away from Zelda!" Green yelled.

"Your timing is impeccable, Link," Vaati greeted. "As always. Shall I go through my carefully-recited, long-winded speech about how I'll destroy you and claim Hyrule for my own, or shall we just get to the point and fight?"

The four Links blinked in surprise, but quickly recollected themselves. "Ha! Looks like he already knows we're gonna beat him!" Blue sneered. "Guess he finally wised up!"

"Be wary, guys," Vio advised. "This may be another one of his tricks."

"I assure you, I have no new tricks up my sleeve at the moment," Vaati interrupted, his voice turning darker, more menacing as his body began to change. "Now let's get to that fight, shall we?"

And the four boys once again found themselves face-to-face with the giant demon eye that had burst into the castle and whisked away the princess before.

XXXXXX

As Zelda watched the fight progress, she couldn't help but feel something was…off about this battle. Was it just her imagination, or was Vaati not trying as hard? The winged eye had taken some damage already, and the four Links continued to press their attack. There were times when Vaati veered out of their reach and hung in the air for short periods of time to recover, but it appeared the fight was going poorly for Vaati.

After about ten minutes of battle, the eye suddenly stopped attacking them altogether, slowly transforming back into the Sorcerer of Winds. The four Links regrouped and braced themselves for attack. "Well, that was fun," Vaati commented, ignoring the various wounds on his body. "But I think it's time we put an end to this."

Vaati held one hand out and charged a ball of energy. But, unnoticed by the heroes, his other hand drifted behind his back and started sparkling. The four boys readied their swords. But the princess's eyes were fixated on Vaati's hidden hand. That spell…it looked like the one he used whenever he was teleporting long distances. What on earth was he doing?

The Wind Mage suddenly glanced behind him at the princess, locking eyes with her. And then…he winked.

Then it all made sense to her at last as Vaati thrust the ball of energy at his adversaries, simultaneously bringing his other hand to bear. But unfortunately, his momentary glance at Zelda was all the time Green needed to ready his bow and shoot an arrow of light at the sorcerer. Too late did the sorcerer see the sacred missile collide with the aura of his spell, destabilizing it. Vaati's eyes widened as he managed a single, "…oh."

And then, one bright flash of light later, Vaati was gone.

XXXXXX

A purple unicorn trotted through the forest growth, a saddlebag slung over her body filled with various plants. Twilight Sparkle liked to think she was prepared for anything. Although this was far from the case, as just weeks ago, she had known virtually nothing about friendship. But now, as she was returning from a trip into the Everfree Forest to gather some herbs and items for some experimentation, she reflected on the relationships she had made. She now had five wonderful new friends who would stick by her through anything. Now she was certain she was prepared for anything. That is, until she saw a bright flash of light in a nearby thicket. "Huh?" she asked herself. "What was that?"

Curious, the little pony cantered over to the thicket and pushed aside the bushes. What she found lying on the ground was something she had never seen before.

It was a creature of some kind, but unlike anything Twilight had never laid eyes on. It was bipedal, but it wasn't a Diamond Dog or a Minotaur. It wore purple and red clothes that vaguely resembled Equestrian sorcerers' attire, so it was most likely an intelligent being. Its skin was deathly pale, and the long hair growing out of its head lavender. Black T-like markings were etched on its cheeks.

In moments, Twilight's curiosity turned to alarm as she noticed that the creature, whatever it was, was injured. Not only were there some deep lacerations seeping crimson blood on his body, but there were some severe burns on his body as well. And the worst part, it wasn't moving.

Fearing the worst, Twilight slowly crawled through the foliage towards the strange creature. "H-hello?" she whimpered, hoping to get a response.

Still no movement. Her heart pounding in her chest, Twilight crept closer to the body, silently praying to Celestia that it wasn't dead. Ever so slowly, she put her ear up against its chest where she assumed its heart would be. To her immense relief, she could feel the creature's heart beating faintly.

Now knowing it was definitely alive, Twilight quickly thought about her options. She dared not try to move the creature for fear of worsening its wounds, but she was loathe to just leave it here to go get Nurse Redheart, fearing that she might not be able to find it again. Finally an idea struck her.

Twilight's horn began glowing as she prepared a tracking spell that would allow her to easily find this place again. A moment later, a purple ball of light was floating over the creature's body. Pleased at her work, Twilight said, "Yes! That should do it! Now don't move, I'll be right back!"

Twilight desperately galloped out of the Everfree Forest and made a beeline for Fluttershy's cottage. Fluttershy would know what to do. The pink-haired, butter-colored Pegasus was busy trying to get her pet bunny Angel to eat a carrot. "Fluttershy! Fluttershy!" Twilight yelled as she galloped over.

Fluttershy looked up in frightened surprise, but her expression calmed when she noticed it was just Twilight. "Hello there, Twilight," Fluttershy greeted in her usual quiet voice.

"Fluttershy!" Twilight ushered as she halted in front of the Pegasus. "You've gotta come with me! I found something in the Everfree Forest, and it's hurt!"

Fluttershy gasped in horror and put her hoof to her mouth. "Oh no! We have to help it! Just wait there, Twilight! I'll be right back!"

Fluttershy bolted into her cottage, and Twilight heard the sounds of cupboards opening and Fluttershy repeatedly muttering "ohmygoodness". About a minute later, Fluttershy rushed out her door with a basket full of medical supplies held firmly in her mouth. "Follow me!" Twilight said, running back towards the forest, Fluttershy following behind.

Twilight quickly followed the energy signature she had left with the creature until she found it, right where she'd left it. She could tell it was still alive, as she could see its chest slowly rise and fall. "Oh my!" Fluttershy whispered, horrified at the extent of his injuries. "This is bad!"

"Can't you do something for him, Fluttershy?!" Twilight begged.

"Oh…I'm sorry," Fluttershy whimpered, not wanting to disappoint her friend. "I…I'll do everything I can. But Twilight, I need you to get Nurse Redheart. He needs serious medical attention that I just…can't provide."

Twilight swallowed her fear before nodding. "Okay, Fluttershy…I'll be back soon!"

Twilight then rushed back towards Ponyville. Meanwhile, Fluttershy immediately set to work, dabbing disinfecting cloths on the lacerations and wrapping gauze around his wounds to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, she didn't have anything to deal with burn marks. At her touch, the creature stirred a little, but its eyes remained closed. Having done all that she could for him, Fluttershy lay down and snuggled up close to his body to keep him warm as she prayed Twilight would return soon.

XXXXXX

Twilight ran as fast as she could towards the hospital and flung the doors open with her magic before rushing in. Right in front of her was the mare she was looking for, who was quite surprised by Twilight's entrance. "Nurse Redheart! Come quick! We found somepony injured in the Everfree Forest!" Twilight pleaded.

Redheart immediately shook off her surprise and put on her business face. "What's the extent of his injuries?" she asked.

"Multiple lacerations all over his upper body, as well as some burned skin," Twilight replied, remembering the terms doctors used to describe patients' injuries.

Redheart nodded before turning her head towards a few other nurses. "Alright, girls!" she barked, snapping them to attention. "Get a stretcher and some medical supplies ready! Somepony's injured in the Everfree Forest and needs our help!"

Shaking aside their fear of the mysterious forest, the nurses rushed off to fulfill their orders. In record time, the three ponies came back, two pushing the stretcher and the other carrying the supplies. "Lead us to them, Twilight," Redheart said.

"This way!" Twilight responded, galloping off with the nurses in tow.

XXXXXX

A few minutes later, Fluttershy reflexively 'meeped' in surprise as she saw the brush move aside, revealing Twilight and Nurse Redheart. "This is him?" Redheart asked.

"Yes," Fluttershy and Twilight both answered.

One of the nurses looked over Redheart's shoulder as she knelt down to assess his injuries. "What is it?" she asked.

"Does it matter?" Redheart responded curtly. "Whatever he is, he needs our help. Thank you for your aid, Fluttershy, but we can take it from here."

"Oh…okay," Fluttershy said, backing away as Redheart and the other unicorn nurses lifted the creature's body onto the stretcher with their magic.

"Move!" Redheart ordered, prompting all six ponies and their charge to hightail it back to the hospital, where Redheart pushed the doors opened and led the occupied stretcher towards the back. "Don't worry," she called over her shoulder. "We'll take care of him. I'll let you know when he comes to."

Twilight and Fluttershy nodded before heading towards the waiting room. "Twilight…um," Fluttershy said. "Maybe we should tell the others about this…if that's alright with you."

Twilight immediately perked up. "Fluttershy, that's a great idea! Let's go!"

XXXXXX

_A few hours later_ …

Vaati's mind was plagued for hours on end by horrible dreams and unpleasant memories. So when the images began to fade and his mind started clearing up, Vaati couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"Girls! He's waking up!" a nasally, female voice whispered.

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Can I throw him a party now?" inquired a second female voice, this one obnoxious and bubbly.

"Hnnh…?" Vaati groaned as he forced his eyes to open.

There, staring back at him, were six wide-eyed, colorful ponies. One was a cyan-colored Pegasus, with a rainbow mane and a cloud and rainbow lightning bolt design on her flank. The second was an orange pony with blonde hair tied into a ponytail wearing a Stetson hat and had three apples embroidered on her flank. The third was a smiling, bright pink pony with pink hair that looked like it had never been brushed and had three balloons designed on her flank. The fourth was a purple unicorn with deep violet hair with a pink streak and a star-like design on her flank. The fifth was a timid-looking butter-colored Pegasus with pink hair and three butterflies on her flank. The last one was a white Unicorn with an expertly-coifed purple mane and three blue diamonds etched on her flank. All of them were staring at him with varying degrees of concern and excitement.

Vaati was quiet for a moment before sinking his head back into his pillow. "I told those blasted Darknuts to keep their livestock out of the Palace," he grunted irritably.

The pink pony snorted laughter, causing Vaati to blink in surprise. "What's a Darknut? That sounds so silly!" the pink pony giggled.

Vaati shot up in surprise before a sharp pain pulsated down his spine, causing him to gasp in shock as he collapsed back into the hospital bed. "You should really rest," the purple unicorn advised with a worried smile. "Our unicorn doctors were able to take care of your wounds, but your body still needs to recover."

Twilight couldn't help but feel a little unnerved by the person's piercing red eyes. Unlike Vinyl's eyes, his red irises seemed to bear a sinister, calculating edge. "I must have finally lost my mind," he stated flatly, rubbing his forehead wearily. "Now I'm hearing horses talk."

"Silly, we're not horses!" the pink pony laughed. "We're ponies!"

"Oh, that makes a _world_ of difference," Vaati sarcastically replied, already deciding he didn't like this pink pony.

"What's yer name, sugarcube?" the orange pony with the hat asked, her accent instantly reminding Vaati of farms.

Vaati tried to sit up and puff out his chest in a boastful manner, but only managed to make his body ache more as he settled back down. "Vaati," he grumbled. "My name is Vaati Picoru, the great and powerful Sorcerer of Winds. And dare I ask who you are?"

"Vaati?" the pink pony repeated, giggling. "That's such a goofy name!"

Twilight immediately noticed the deadly glare Vaati was shooting at her friend and spoke up, "Um, Pinkie? Let's not make fun of his name."

"But I wasn't…"

"Just…be respectful, please, Pinkie? We don't want to make a bad impression."

Pinkie sighed. "Okay, Twilight."

"Anyways, mah name's Applejack," the pony with the hat greeted, pointing her hoof at herself. "Pleased ta meet'cha, sugarcube."

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" the pink pony said, bouncing up and down in a hyperactive manner.

"I'm Rainbow Dash!" the cyan Pegasus proudly declared, flying up into the air. "The fastest flier in all of Equestria!"

"I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's a pleasure to meet you, Vaati!"

"I am Rarity, darling," the elegant white pony introduced. "And I must say your hair is simply marvelous and matches your clothes perfectly!"

Vaati raised an eyebrow. "Thanks…I guess?"

The last pony was quiet, looking nervously down at the floor. Noticing everyone staring at her, she whispered, "Oh…um…I'm Fluttershy."

Vaati glanced at each of them in turn. "Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Fluttershy. And you said my name was silly?"

"Whoa, don't be dissin' our names!" Rainbow Dash chided arrogantly. "I'm gonna be famous one day, you know!"

"You say that like you think I'd care," Vaati responded curtly.

Twilight winced at Vaati's unfriendly tone. Rainbow sputtered in surprise. "Guh…wha?! Not care? How could you not care?!"

"Firstly, I've never met you before. And second of all, I'm fairly certain I've done far greater things than you could ever dream of achieving."

Rainbow got right in Vaati's face, glaring at him. "Is that so, chump? Can you do a Sonic Rainboom?"

"Don't know what that is, couldn't care less," Vaati responded, annoyed. "I could make a creature like you dance to my whims, cause the very wind itself to turn against you. I could pull you out of the sky with a flick of my wrist."

Vaati nonchalantly waved his hand, causing a small downdraft of air to compress below Rainbow's wings, stealing the air out from under them. "Wha?!" Rainbow cried in surprise before she fell smack on the floor.

"Alright, fellas, that's enough!" Applejack snapped.

Grumbling in displeasure, Rainbow got to her hooves and glowered at the bedridden Wind Mage, who chuckled darkly. "Now that that's settled," Vaati said. "Perhaps you'd like to tell me where on Farore's green earth I am?"

"You're in Equestria," Twilight explained. "Ponyville Hospital, to be exact."

"Equestria? I've never heard of it. Does it border Hyrule, by any chance?"

The ponies glanced among each other, confused. Vaati's eyes narrowed. "Labrynna? Holodrum?...Termina?"

The gathered ponies just shook their heads. Vaati's eyes began to widen in growing horror. He desperately held his hand up and charged up the same spell he had tried to use before. Anything to get away from these talking horses. His hand sparkled, and then…nothing. Vaati gasped in realization as he stared at his hand. "No…if that didn't work…then…oh Goddesses…I'm in a completely separate world!"

"You're from another world?" Pinkie excitedly asked. "THAT'S SO COOL!"

"Please remove her from my sight before I get a headache," Vaati growled, rubbing his temples.

"I think it's best if everyone heads out for the time being," Nurse Redheart suddenly said, walking into the room. "He needs his rest."

"Aw, but I wanna throw him a party!" Pinkie whined.

"After he receives a clean bill of health, not before," Redheart chided.

"We understand," Twilight assured her. "C'mon, girls."

As the ponies were leaving, Applejack lagged behind, Vaati watching her with half-interest. "Next to yer head's a little gift from Sweet Apple Acres," she said with a smile. "Hope you feel better, Vaati!"

Vaati watched her go before turning his head towards the small table next to him. Sitting on it was a particularly delicious-looking apple. The Sorcerer of Winds stared at the tantalizing fruit, debating whether or not it was safe to eat. After a few moments, he took the apple and bit hungrily into it. He had to admit: it was the best apple he had ever tasted.

As the sorcerer chewed his food, he contemplated his situation. He was in an alternate world. How on earth had he gotten here? The teleportation spell he had tried to use was supposed to only carry him over long distances, like from country to country. But a whole different world entirely? And then it hit him.

The light arrow.

It must have interfered with his spell's aura, causing it to accelerate out of control and take him to a random destination. His idea had, in the end, worked too well. He had just intended to abandon the battle and reappear in Labrynna, where he'd melt into the crowd and start a new life away from the chaos of Hyrule. Vaati sighed at the ridiculousness of it all.

"Smart move, Vaati," he cursed to himself.

XXXXXX

The Mane 6 parted ways for the day. Twilight rushed back to her home at the Books and Branches Library and thrust open the door, startling her baby dragon assistant, Spike, as he was shelving some books. "Spike, take a letter!" Twilight ordered.

Spike shook off his surprise at his friend's urgent tone and readied his quill and parchment. "Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight began, Spike writing down her words. "Something urgent has come up here in Ponyville. I discovered a strange creature injured in the Everfree Forest this morning, and I have discovered that it is a sorcerous being from another world entirely. He calls himself Vaati the Sorcerer of Winds…"

"Um, Twilight," Spike asked. "How do you spell Vaati?"

Twilight blinked in surprise as she realized she didn't know either. "Just write what it sounds like," Twilight replied. "Anyways, he seemed very distraught about coming into our world, and I was hoping you could do something to help him. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Spike finished the letter at engulfed it in his green fire breath, sending the ashes drifting towards the distant spires of Canterlot. As they waited for the Princess's response, Spike said, "So I take it that guy you found in the Everfree Forest woke up?"

Twilight nodded. "I have to say, though, he was a little unpleasant. I get the impression he doesn't like Pinkie very much."

"Well…she can be a little annoying sometimes," Spike muttered.

Twilight shot him a look before Spike belched up more green flames, which transformed into another letter. Spike plucked it out of the air, unfolded it, and cleared his throat. "My faithful student Twilight, thank you for informing me about this strange event. I will be shortly arriving in Ponyville to meet this stranger you have mentioned. Signed, Princess Celestia."

Twilight gasped. "The princess is coming here?! Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no! I don't have the place cleaned up yet!"

Spike cleared his throat again to catch her attention. "P.S. Don't go into a panic and try cleaning anything up before I get there. Save yourself the trouble."

Spike chuckled as Twilight just stared at the letter, confused. He couldn't help but find it funny that even though she was Celestia's most prized pupil, Twilight's borderline-OCD behavior caused her to make Celestia sound like a tyrannical, short-tempered ruler, and her mind simply could not process the fact that the princess was quite the casual person.

Just as Twilight was about to speak, the door to the library opened, revealing Princess Celestia in all her benevolent glory. Spike quickly bowed as Twilight ran to her mentor's side and hugged her leg. "Princess Celestia! It's good to see you again!"

"And the same to you, my faithful student," Celestia answered warmly, nuzzling Twilight's shoulder. "I trust your stay in Ponyville is working well so far?"

Twilight excitedly nodded her head, causing Celestia to chuckle. "Anyway," the princess continued. "Where is this 'Wind Sorcerer' you've mentioned?"

"He's in the hospital at the moment," Twilight answered.

"Very well then. Come along, you two," Celestia said, walking out the door and trotting towards the hospital, various ponies gasping and dropping to their knees as they saw her.

Twilight and Spike followed Celestia back over to the hospital, where the princess was causing quite a stir amongst the staff with her presence. "Oh, um, P-Princess Celestia!" Nurse Redheart stuttered nervously. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Celestia smiled. "I am here to see a patient who calls himself Vaati?"

It was then that they noticed a small black creature flitting off towards one of the hospital rooms. It appeared to be a little black orb with bat wings and a single, unblinking white eye outlined by gold trimmings. Celestia had the distinct impression that thing had been watching her for a few minutes. Noticing it too, Redheart curiously said, "That thing is actually headed for Vaati's room."

Celestia, Twilight, and Spike followed the strange critter into the room and found it perched on Vaati's hand, who was still lying down in his bed. "I see you brought more guests, Twilight," Vaati spoke without even looking up, his tone sarcastic and irritated. "I suppose I'm to become your little town's newest tourist attraction?"

Twilight blinked. "How did you know…?"

Vaati flicked his hand, causing the creature to lift off and touch down on the table next to his head. "An Eye Sentry," Vaati explained, glancing at the creature in question. "A little creation of mine I use as surveillance. I can see what he sees. I sent him to scope out your village and see what was out there. He happened to catch sight of you approaching the hospital and alerted me."

Spike stared at the Eye Sentry, who simply stared back with its unblinking eye. Spike shivered. "Dude, that's creepy," he muttered.

Celestia stepped forward, causing Vaati's gaze to center on her. Looking into his eyes, she could sense…something about him. There was darkness in those eyes…not pure evil, but they beheld a calculating, sinister glint that reminded Celestia a little too much of Discord and Nightmare Moon. "Greetings, Wind Sorcerer Vaati," Celestia said, nodding her head and forcing a smile. "I am Princess Celestia, one of the rulers of this fair land."

Vaati's eyes narrowed. "So, even the royalty are equine? Disappointing, but not unexpected. So much for that idea."

Celestia had a feeling she would not have approved of Vaati's 'idea' had it been able to come to fruition. "I can tell just by looking at you, princess," Vaati added, "that you possess a great amount of power. Perhaps enough to send me back to where I came."

Celestia dejectedly hung her head, causing Twilight and Spike's eyes to widen in alarm. "That's just it, though," Celestia answered somberly, Vaati taking quick notice and scowling. "I have absolutely no idea where you came from, and dimensional teleportation magic is extremely difficult to perform, as it requires more power than my sister and I together have."

Vaati went perfectly silent. Twilight couldn't help but feel somewhat frightened by the furious look on Vaati's face as he glared at Princess Celestia. "We can look into other possible ways to get you home," Celestia said, hoping to rekindle his hope.

Twilight studied Vaati intently, her mind racing with worry. Would he fly into a rage and attack her? Twilight was seriously considering preparing a spell just in case when Vaati suddenly sighed and relaxed in the bed. "No, it's…fine," Vaati grumbled. "The whole reason I'm here is because I tried to escape a battle I had been participating in for too long and retire far away from all that chaos. I suppose…this will suffice…for now."

Celestia was suddenly struck with an idea. From what it seemed, Vaati didn't have much experience with friendship. Plus, he appeared to be someone eager for knowledge. Smiling benevolently, she said, "Well, Vaati, if you need a place to stay, I'm certain Twilight here could accommodate you at the Books and Branches Library."

"What?" Twilight and Spike both exclaimed.

Celestia leaned her face in close to Twilight's ear and whispered, "Think about it, Twilight. In many ways he is like you, powerful, clever, eager for knowledge, and somewhat lacking in friendship experience. This could be the perfect opportunity for _you_ to teach someone about the magic of friendship, someone to learn your lessons with together."

Unbeknownst to the two ponies, Vaati could hear everything they were saying. His lips curled in disgust at such a childish concept. Friendship? This idiot princess wanted him to learn about the magic of _friendship_? He had spent his whole life without friends, and look at where he was now!

Oh wait.

XXXXXX

_The next day_ …

Nurse Redheart was finally confident enough to issue the strange visitor a clean bill of health, who promptly excused himself from the sterile place and took his first steps on Equestrian soil. The sorcerer couldn't help but notice that the streets were empty. Probably because they were wary of him. His Eye Sentry was flitting over him, reminiscent of a fairy partner. Twilight noticed him coming from her window and rushed down the stairs, opening her door to greet him. "Vaati!" she cried enthusiastically. "Did Nurse Redheart let you out of the hospital?"

"I wouldn't be standing here otherwise," Vaati answered. "So this is where I will be staying?"

Twilight smiled. "Yep, right this way."

The Wind Mage followed the pony up to the door, but when she opened it, Vaati was greeted by the sight of hundreds of pony faces alight with excitement who all chorused as one, "SURPRISE!"

Vaati recoiled from the doorway in shock. "What in Din's name?!" he shouted.

Twilight chuckled. "It's a welcoming party!"

Suddenly Pinkie Pie hopped over to Vaati and said, "Hi, Vaati! I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised, were ya were ya, huh huh huh?"

"…Very," was the only response Vaati could think of as he gingerly stepped inside.

It seemed like everypony in town was now crammed inside the library, all with bright, smiling faces. Vaati had to admit, this was quite a relief from the normal reaction to his presence that garnered running and screaming. A table at the far back was covered in various sweet foods and drinks. "All this for just me showing up, eh?" Vaati asked.

"Yep yep yep!" Pinkie replied, bouncing happily.

"Well, I suppose I can enjoy myself."

The Wind Mage strode over to the food and drink table and eyed his various choices. Various cakes, pies, and other baked goods all looked good, and truth be told, Vaati hadn't indulged in such things since he was a child, and even that had been a rare occurrence. Fruit punch was situated at the very center, surrounded by cups and plates. As he was pouring himself a glass, he heard a voice from behind. "Hey there, sugarcube. You feelin' alright?"

Vaati turned around to see Applejack with a friendly smile on her face. Vaati lightly chuckled, "Ah, Applejack. I've suffered worse wounds than what you saw. I assure you I'm doing quite well."

Applejack nodded her head. "Anyways, this here's a little somethin' from Sweet Apple Acres." She nudged a plate of apple pie towards Vaati with her hoof. "Made it mahself with the best apples in all Equestria!"

"Rather proud of your apples, aren't you?" Vaati inquired, taking her offering.

"It ain't just hearsay," Applejack proudly proclaimed. "Everypony in Ponyville says the same thing."

Vaati's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "'Everypony'? Don't you mean 'every _body_ '?"

"Well, we mostly say everypony whenever we're just referrin' to our own kind."

"I see," Vaati said before picking up the slice of apple pie and taking a huge bite out of it. After swallowing, he commended, "I must say, Applejack, you have good reason to be proud of your apples."

Applejack grinned. "You oughta try Pinkie's cupcakes too. She's mighty proud'a them."

Vaati glanced at the cupcakes in question. There were so many, all various colors and flavors. "Perhaps," Vaati said. "Perhaps."

XXXXXX

The party lasted all day and several hours into the night. During that time, Vaati got more acquainted with the more prominent citizens, including the Mane Six, Mayor Mare, Doctor Whooves, and Derpy Hooves. It was quite late when the party was officially declared over and everypony began heading back home, bidding goodnight to the newest resident of Ponyville.

After everyone was finally gone and the library quiet again, Twilight and Spike led Vaati up to the upper level of the library, where two beds and a basket were situated. "This is where you'll be sleeping," Twilight explained, glancing at the bed. "I normally use it for sleepovers, but I'm sure it can accommodate you."

Vaati noticed Spike settling down in the basket and pulling a small blanket around himself. "Goodnight, you two," Spike mumbled before quickly falling asleep.

As Twilight reached her bed, she glanced towards Vaati as he kicked off his red sandals. "So…did you enjoy your first day in Ponyville?"

Vaati quirked an eyebrow before taking off his purple cap and sitting it by his sandals. "It was…different."

Twilight smiled as they both got into their respective beds. "Goodnight, Vaati," Twilight bade.

"Likewise, Twilight Sparkle."

XXXXXX

That night, the dreams returned. Vaati rarely ever got a chance to sleep, as it was impossible to do so during his imprisonment inside the Four Sword and he was always busy getting the palace defenses prepared for when the Hero came knocking during his various escapes. So, needless to say, the lack of sleep was not having positive effects on his dreamscape.

Perhaps it was because a part of him regretted the life he had been living, one that he refused to acknowledge in the waking world. Whatever the case, his memories plagued him. His battles with the Hero, his vile transformation, the sting of that blasted sword cutting into his flesh. Bits of his miserable childhood drifted by as well, teasing him with their presence, just like the bullies who had beaten and tormented him so long ago.

Unbeknownst to him, another shared in his pain as well. Far away, in the distant capital city of Canterlot, a midnight-blue alicorn twisted in her sleep as well. As Princess of the Night, when she slept, she could see the dreams of her subjects, the good and the bad. There were times when she unwittingly intervened in nightmares and drove them away. But this was different.

Her dream was one of monsters and bloodshed, memories of a life not unlike her own, a child vilified for his differences, driven to become a monster fueled by rage at a cruel world. As she gazed upon the great winged eye, feeling the sting of its green-clad enemy's weapon as if she was the one struck, Princess Luna knew that the Wind Sorcerer Vaati had some very dark secrets to hide, secrets that could spell disaster for all Equestria were they not confronted and come to terms with.


	2. Episode 2: Boast Busters

### Episode Two: Boast Busters

It was a delightfully sunny day in Ponyville. The sunlight filtered through the window of the Books and Branches Library, offering an interesting view of the events taking place within. Spike was leaning forward and staring at Twilight as she prepared a spell. Vaati sat in a nearby chair, reading a book about unicorn magic.

"C'mon, Twilight! You can do it!" Spike encouraged Twilight.

"Okay, here goes!" Twilight replied, her horn glowing.

Spike grinned and closed his eyes as a magical aura shimmered above his upper lip. Suddenly, a mustache appeared on his face, Spike crying out in glee as he noted the success of their experiment. "Ha ha, you did it, Twilight!" he exclaimed, turning around and checking off a list. "Growing magic. That's number twenty-five! Twenty-five magic tricks and counting!"

Twilight smiled and blushed at the compliment. Vaati, however, was far from impressed. The Wind Mage yawned audibly in a bored fashion and flipped another page. Twilight didn't pay any attention to him, but Spike quickly caught on to Vaati's indifference. However, he refrained from calling him out, mostly due to the fact that the last time he had angered the sorcerer, when he had accidentally set Vaati's cape on fire in the midst of sending a letter, he could have sworn Vaati's eyes had turned demonic for a second as he yelled at him.

Spike turned to a nearby mirror and rubbed his mustache. "And I think this is the best trick so far! Hellooo, Rarity! Huh, what's that? Aw, it's nothing but my awesome mustache!"

Vaati snorted derisively, looking up from his book to sneer at the baby dragon. "Please. You're still going on about wooing that prissy little fashionista? I hardly believe a dragon has any chance of winning the favor of a member of a separate species entirely."

Spike glared at him, his cheeks blushing as he realized Vaati had figured out his (admittedly poorly-kept) secret crush on Rarity. "What's that supposed to mean, huh?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry, I forgot big words hurt your brain. I mean, in what universe do you think a dragon and a pony are compatible? It's like pairing a bird with a fish. Imagine the offspring."

Spike's face turned beet-red from embarrassment as he shook his fists. "Alright, you two," Twilight interrupted. "Settle down. Spike, I know you look handsome in that mustache and all, but it's just for practice and it's gotta go."

Spike slapped his hands over his mouth and yelped, "W-wait!"

But Spike's efforts to shield himself ended in failure as the mustache vanished from his face. Seeing this, Spike slumped his shoulders in defeat. "Aw, rats."

Twilight giggled at Spike's antics, but Vaati's laughter was more mocking. Hoping to prevent another confrontation between the two hot-headed purple boys, Twilight spoke up, "Spike, what's say you and me take a walk around Ponyville and see what everypony's up to?"

Spike glared at Vaati before sighing. "Oh, all right."

Twilight looked up at the sorcerer, who had returned to his book. "Will you be alright?"

Vaati waved a hand dismissively in her direction. "Off with you. I'm not a child, I can handle being alone for a while."

Twilight shook her head before walking out the door with Spike in tow, shutting it behind them. Satisfied he was alone, Vaati leaned back in the chair and continued reading _Advanced Unicorn Magic_. Some of the spells were familiar to him, but others were completely foreign. One reason why he had picked up this book in the first place was for the purpose of expanding his knowledge of spells. Who knew when they could be useful in the future?

Snapping back to reality, Vaati shook his head. No need to be thinking that, now. He was retired, after all. Suddenly he heard a loud, boastful female voice echoing from outside. "Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

Vaati cocked an eyebrow in half-interest before jumping in surprise as fireworks exploded not far from the library. "Alright, now I _have_ to see this," Vaati muttered to himself, closing the book and walking out the door.

XXXXXX

"Twenty-five tricks, Twilight!" Spike exclaimed enthusiastically as he and Twilight walked through the streets of Ponyville. "Twenty-five tricks and counting!"

Twilight couldn't help but smile. "I thought unicorns were only supposed to have a little magic that matches their special talent," Spike said.

"True," Twilight replied, "for ponies whose special talent is cooking, singing, or math. But what if your special talent _is_ magic?"

"Like you, Twilight! And you know a ton of magic!"

Twilight laughed nervously. "Oh, Spike, stop. I'm sure there're just as many unicorns right here in Ponyville that know just as much magic as me."

"Nah. I don't think there's another unicorn in all of Equestria with your kind of ability."

"GANGWAY! LOOK OUT!" a dopey voice suddenly cried from the side.

Twilight and Spike turned just in time for two young ponies to run by, accidentally slamming into Spike and dragging him with them.

"Ah! Snips! Snails!" Spike wheezed. "What's going on?!"

The two ponies suddenly stopped, sending Spike flying a short distance away and knocking him to the ground. "Oh, haven't you heard?" Snails, the taller, lanky yellow pony with green hair, said. "There's a new unicorn in town!"

The shorter faded-turquoise pony with orange hair, Snips, added excitedly, "Yeah, yeah! They say she's got more power than any unicorn ever!"

"Really?" Twilight asked before hanging her head in disappointment.

Spike walked up, rubbing his sore head. "Aw, no way. That honor goes to Twilight here!"

Twilight blushed and smiled again. "Where is this unicorn?" she asked.

"She's in the town square," Snails answered. "Come on!"

The three ponies and dragon high-tailed it over to the town square, where a crowd had gathered around a decorated wagon of some kind. Suddenly a proud, arrogant female voice boomed, "Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

As the voice spoke, the wagon opened up into an elaborate stage. Suddenly, the stage was engulfed in a puff of smoke. When it cleared, a blue unicorn wearing a sorcerer's hat and cape stood proudly on the stage, smirking at the audience. Most of the crowd gasped in amazement, save for the Mane Six and Spike, who just watched with confused looks on their faces. "Watch in awe," the pony declared, "as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the greatest feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!"

Trixie stood on her hind legs as fireworks exploded around the stage, which miraculously didn't catch on fire. Rarity narrowed her eyes. "My my, what boasting!" she commented.

"Yeah," Spike added as he stood next to her. "Nopony's as magical as Twi…" Spike suddenly stopped, realizing just who he was talking to. "Twi…oh, uh…h-hey, Rarity…uh…mustache!"

Spike sped off while Rarity looked on in confusion. "There's nothing wrong with being talented, is there?" Twilight asked.

"Nuthin' at all," Applejack responded. "'Cept when you're showin' off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons."

"Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us," Rarity added, causing Twilight to look away in shame.

"Especially when you got me around bein' better than the rest of us!" Rainbow Dash snootily replied.

Applejack was about to confront Rainbow, but noticed someone else had beat her to it. "Ahem," a familiar voice said from behind Rainbow.

The Pegasus turned around and looked up to see Vaati the Wind Mage looming over her, his eyes glaring nastily at her. Vaati's posture caused his face to be shaded, allowing Rainbow to notice that his red eyes were _glowing_. "I would refrain from making boasts you can't uphold if I were you. I'd hate to have to make an example out of you."

Rainbow couldn't stop herself from shivering under Vaati's rather sinister gaze. "Uh…yeah, um…m-magic, shmagic! Boo!"

Trixie had caught on to their conversation, it seemed. "Well well well," she said haughtily. "It seems we have some neeiggh-sayers in the audience!"

Vaati rolled his eyes. "Oh great. More horse puns."

"Who could be so bold as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Don't they know they are in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?!"

Rarity scoffed before turning to Twilight. "Just who does she think she is?"

"Yeah!" Spike interrupted. "Since we all know Twilight is the—"

"Spike, shh!" Twilight whispered, pushing Spike aside.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Did you see the way they reacted to Trixie?" Twilight whispered. "I don't want anyone thinking _I'm_ a show-off."

They both turned to see Trixie activating more of her fireworks with glee. Rainbow, fed up with this showboating pony, flitted up and glared at Trixie eye-to-eye. "So, Great and Powerful Trixie…what makes you think you're so awesome anyway?"

Trixie sneered. "Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to defeat the dreaded Ursa Major!"

More fireworks lit up and depicted a scene reminiscent of neon signs of a blue bear dotted with stars. Several ponies in the audience gasped in shock. "When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to," Trixie boasted. "But the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magical abilities, defeated the Ursa Major and sent it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest!"

More ponies gasped in shock and amazement. Trixie's smug smile didn't last for long, though. She suddenly heard a chuckle escape the strange bipedal creature's mouth. The chuckle grew in volume and intensity until Vaati threw his head back and cackled almost insanely. It had to be one of the scariest laughs anypony had ever heard. Trixie fumed. "And just what are you laughing at, you hairless ape?" she demanded.

Vaati continued laughing a few seconds longer before stopping. "You little fool. You poor, misguided, insipid little _fool_. Do you _really_ expect us to believe that your parlor tricks are enough to defeat something as powerful as an Ursa Major? What kind of idiots do you take us for? You, Trixie, have shown me absolutely _nothing_ that proves you deserve the title of Great and Powerful, and frankly, I don't think you _can_."

Trixie gritted her teeth. "Is that so? Well then, Ponyvillians, I hereby challenge you: anything you can do, I can do better!"

The magician looked over the audience. "Any takers? Anyone? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived?"

Trixie stood on her hind legs as more fireworks exploded behind her. Spike grabbed hold of Twilight's legs and begged, "Ple-e-ease! She's unbearable! You just gotta show her, Twilight! You just gotta!"

"There's no way I'm going to use my magic now, Spike," Twilight said. "Especially since—"

"Alright, that's it!" Applejack suddenly cried angrily. "Ah can't stand fer no more-a this!"

The cowpony stepped onto the stage, somehow bringing a length of rope out of nowhere and tying one end to her tail. Trixie looked on, unimpressed. "Can yer fancy magic do _this_?" Applejack said as she began performing some rather impressive lasso tricks.

The crowd oohed in amazement as Applejack suddenly threw the loop of the rope towards a nearby apple tree, plucked one of the fruits off the branches, and threw it in her mouth, all with the lasso. The crowd went wild. Applejack swallowed and clicked her hoof against the ground. "Ha! Top _that_ , missy!"

Trixie smirked. "Oh, ye of little talent…" Her horn began to glow as her hat lifted from her head. "Watch and be amazed at the magic of Trixie!"

Suddenly one end of Applejack's rope lifted up and started waving in front of Applejack like a serpent, mesmerizing the farm pony. While she was distracted, the other end stretched over to the apple tree and pulled another apple from its branches. Suddenly, before Applejack could blink, the rope wrapped itself around her legs, tied them together, and threw her on her back, with the other end stuffing the apple in her mouth. The crowd laughed as Applejack awkwardly left the stage. Putting the hat back on her head, Trixie said, "Once again, the magic of Trixie prevails!"

Rainbow then got in her face. "There's no need to be showing off like that!" she snapped.

"Oh?"

"That's _my_ job!"

Rainbow then sped off, spinning around a nearby windmill to gain momentum before catapulting into the air, penetrating a row of clouds before stopping in front of the sun for a moment. Then she sped back down through the holes she had made in the clouds, gathering moisture around her body as she reached the windmill and spun on its blades some more before catapulting back onto the stage. She suddenly came to a screeching halt as a rainbow appeared above her. "They don't call me Rainbow and Dash for nuthin'!" she boasted, the audience cheering for her.

Trixie sneered. "When Trixie is through, the only thing they'll call you is _loser_."

A beam of magic shot out of Trixie's horn and hit the rainbow above Dash, causing it to suddenly spin rapidly around her, trapping her in a colorful tornado that began spinning through the air as Rainbow cried out in surprise. Finally the rainbow came to rest on the ground and stopped spinning, leaving the cyan Pegasus faceplanted in the ground, her eyes spinning dizzily. "Ugh…I think I'm…gonna be sick…"

"It seems anypony with a 'dash' of good sense would think twice before tussling with the great Trixie!"

Suddenly a small storm cloud appeared behind Rainbow and struck her in the flank with a lightning bolt, causing her to cry out in shock and pain. The gathered ponies laughed in amusement. Vaati narrowed his eyes at the scene and glared at the audience. "So, you all think this is funny, do you?" he snapped before whirling around to face Trixie. "You're boastful and arrogant, and I can put up with that, to a point. But that there was going way too far. Inflicting physical pain against your victims when their backs are turned? You're nothing but a Great and Powerful _coward_!"

The crowd went perfectly silent. Recovering from her shock, Trixie matched Vaati's glare. "Is that so? Care to put your magic where your mouth is, ape?"

Vaati's lips curved upward into a malevolent smirk. "Are you challenging me, little girl?" he asked, his voice a dangerous calm.

Vaati's back was to the crowd, leaving only Trixie able to see the maniacal expression on the mage's face. Though she would never admit it, something about those eyes told her there was a lot more to this creature than met the eye. But her pride would not allow her to back down from this challenge. Not in front of a crowd that adored her. She discreetly swallowed and put on her confident sneer. "Don't feel up to it? You could always just turn around and walk away."

"Not without teaching you a little lesson about biting off more than you can chew first," Vaati responded. "If you are still bold enough to challenge me to a magical duel, then meet me at sundown in the Everfree Forest. Follow the winged eye."

"The winged what?" Trixie asked before noticing Vaati's Eye Sentry flitting over and perching on the mage's shoulder.

"He'll lead you to me," Vaati explained, glancing towards it.

"Then we have an agreement," Trixie said. "Anypony wanting to watch is more than welcome—"

"No."

Trixie blinked at the still-glaring sorcerer. "You will come alone," Vaati continued before speaking to the crowd. "No one shall seek out this fight for their petty entertainment. What you see _will_ scar you for life. That is, if you are lucky enough to not get caught in the crossfire."

The gathering of ponies muttered to each other as the Mane Six and Spike glanced worriedly at one another. "I'll be waiting, Trixie," Vaati intoned as the wind began whipping around him, making him appear even more intimidating. "Pray that your gods show you mercy…because I will not."

With a final, bone-chilling laugh, Vaati disappeared inside a small tornado. Once the swirling winds dissipated, Vaati was nowhere to be found. Trixie stared at the spot where the sorcerer once stood for a moment before scoffing haughtily. "Well, it seems my afternoon performance has been cancelled. But don't worry, tomorrow's performance will be twice as grand!"

Twilight and her friends weren't so sure.

XXXXXX

Twilight and Spike eventually returned to the library to see Vaati right back where he had been earlier that morning, casually reading the book about unicorn magic as if the debacle with Trixie had never happened. "Well, you made one hay of a scene out there," Twilight commented.

"I've been known to put on a bit of a show from time to time," Vaati dully replied.

Twilight sighed in relief. "A show? Good, then you weren't being serious about challenging Trixie to a duel in the Everfree Forest."

"Yes I was."

Twilight's eyes widened in shock. "W-what?" she stuttered. "You're _actually_ going through with it?"

"She challenged me. It's only logical that I respond in kind. Besides, she won't be difficult for me to handle, I can assure you of that."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Twilight groused. "The fact you're willing to actually fight someone for the sake of preserving your own masculinity is ridiculous!"

"Of course a woman would say that."

Vaati looked up from his book and flashed her a smug smile as she sputtered in surprise at Vaati's utter lack of tact. Spike couldn't stop himself from giggling at Twilight's reaction. "You…you…gnn…rrr!" Twilight was so frustrated that it took her several seconds to form coherent words. "You're unbelievable! I can't believe you're doing this!"

Vaati's face lost the smirk and was replaced by a more serious look. "Are you that dead-set against me doing this?"

"It's stupid!"

"Well, if you want to stop it, then why don't you go out there and deal with her yourself?"

Spike grinned as he realized Vaati wanted her to confront Trixie too. Maybe _he_ could convince her. "I already told Spike, no!" Twilight responded.

"And why not?"

"Because I don't want to be seen as a braggart! You saw how my friends reacted to her! What if they thought _I_ was a show-off?"

" _That's_ what you're worried about?" Vaati asked, raising an eyebrow. "Silly girl, it's not the same thing."

"Yes it is! I'm not doing it, and that's final!"

Vaati suddenly roughly closed the book and stood up abruptly, startling Twilight. "So that's how it's going to be? If you won't stand up for your friends, then you don't deserve to have them!"

Twilight was now really angry. "How would _you_ know?! You've never had any!"

Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what she had just said. Spike was speechless. Vaati just stared at her with a shocked look on his face that was slowly darkening in anger. Twilight's eyes started to well up with tears as the severity of the situation got to her. "I-I'm sorry," she uttered before galloping out the door, crying.

"W-wait!" Spike yelled. "Twilight, wait!"

The little dragon rushed after the pony, leaving Vaati alone in the library. Vaati started shaking profusely in fury as he growled, " _How dare she_ …"

Why did this affect him so? She was right, after all. Throughout his life, Vaati never got close enough to anyone to actually have friends. And that was BEFORE he became the dreaded Sorcerer of Winds. And for centuries, he had preferred it that way.

Or had he?

Wasn't the whole reason he was who he was today because of how alone he was? Living the first eight years of his life in that Goddessforsaken orphanage as a target for other kids had done terrible things to his self-esteem. Even when he was accepted into the tutelage of Ezlo, the sage never treated him as anything more than a servant.

Then Ezlo had created that cap. That cap that started him on his descent into dark legends. Why had he taken it? To prove he was good enough to be recognized as something more than a pale-skinned freak who needed to be beaten into submission. Perhaps, if he were a great and powerful being, people would love him, respect him, and…

…want to be his friend.

Vaati's eyes narrowed in menace. This was all _her_ fault. That stupid, prideful, arrogant little snot who thought she was hot stuff just because of her talent in parlor tricks. She was the one who started all of this. Vaati glanced out the window to see that the sun was beginning to lower over the horizon. He glanced over at the dozing Sentry and snapped his fingers, awaking it from its nap. "Find Trixie. Bring her to me."

And with that, Vaati disappeared, teleporting into an area of the Everfree Forest he had chosen for their arena: a large clearing a short distance away from a cave. As he awaited his opponent, his mind flooded with thoughts about how much he was going to make her regret showing her face in Ponyville.

XXXXXX

Spike eventually found Twilight huddled in an alley where nopony could see her, crying her eyes out. As he ran towards her, somepony else reached her before he could.

"Whoa, Twilight! What's wrong?" Rainbow Dash asked, concerned.

Twilight didn't answer her, instead burying her face in her hooves as she sobbed some more. "She and Vaati got into a fight," Spike explained as he reached them. "You okay, Twi?"

"What!" Rainbow yelled. "What'd that jerk do? I swear, if he—"

"Whoa, calm down, Rainbow Dash!" Spike ushered. "Vaati just tried to convince her to go and show Trixie what real magic is. But when she wouldn't budge, they both kinda snapped at each other and said stuff they didn't mean…at least, I hope they didn't mean it."

Rainbow looked down at Twilight, who was still sobbing. "Why don't you wanna show off your magic to Trixie?" she asked softly, much more softly than one might think capable of her considering her tough-girl attitude. "You're so much _better_ than she is."

Twilight lifted her face from her hooves and stared at Rainbow with red, puffy eyes. "I-I'm not better than anypony! I saw how you all hated Trixie's showing off! I don't want you to hate me!"

Rainbow put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "That's what this is all about?" she asked. "You're afraid to show off who you really are based on how we judged someone else? Trixie's just a loudmouth! We like you for who you are, Twilight. Never doubt that."

Twilight managed to smile through her tears. "Thanks, Dash," she said. "You're a good friend."

"Hey, I look out for my pals!" Rainbow said proudly. "I gotta if I'm gonna be their most awesome friend!"

Twilight couldn't help but giggle as she hugged Rainbow tightly. Rainbow returned her embrace, smiling as Spike joined in as well. It was then that Spike noticed the sun was starting to go down. "Uh, guys?" he said. "I know our little moment is great, but Vaati's still pretty mad. And he gets _real_ scary when he's mad. And judging by where the sun is, that fight between him and Trixie's gonna start in a few minutes!"

"Ah, I probably wouldn't worry," Rainbow laughed. "She'll probably turn tail and run first chance she gets!"

"Do you really think Vaati's gonna give her that chance?" Spike asked rhetorically. "I saw that crazy look in his eye."

Twilight broke down sobbing again. "It's all my fault!" she wailed. "If I'd just stood up for you guys before, none of this would've happened! I don't want anypony to get hurt because of my decisions!"

Twilight sucked in her breath and wiped away her tears, a determined look crossing her face. "We gotta stop that fight."

"I'll get the others!" Rainbow started.

"No!" Twilight shouted. "The more there are, the harder this'll be! We gotta hurry!"

"But Twilight," Spike questioned. "How are we gonna find them?"

Twilight's horn started to glow. "I'll lock onto Vaati's power signature and lead us to him. Let's go!"

XXXXXX

Trixie continued following the strange, admittedly rather creepy winged eyeball as it led her further into the forest. Finally she entered a wide clearing with a large cave situated off to the side. Standing there at the mouth of the cave, his arms folded and his lips curved up into a menacing smirk, was Vaati. "You actually came," Vaati sneered. "I was expecting you to flee the minute no one was looking."

Trixie seethed. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has heard enough of your belittlement! Now I will show you why I'm great and powerful!"

" _Oh please_."

Trixie's blood immediately ran cold at how demonic Vaati's voice suddenly sounded. She instinctively took a step back in fear as the wind began whipping around Vaati while his body was covered in dark energy. His satanic laughter echoed through the trees as his body grew taller. Finally the dark energy dissipated from Vaati's body, but the wind still whirled around him. Trixie gasped.

Vaati was now much taller than before. His hair was now even longer and moved with the wind. A golden headdress with two long horns was situated on his head. His pupil-less eyes now shined blood-red. He was clothed in robes of darkness, the folds underneath his hands glowing with fire. A massive eye on his stomach stared unblinkingly at Trixie as Vaati laughed again. "What's the matter, 'Great and Powerful' Trixie? You expected a man, but instead found a _god_?!"

Before a now-terrified Trixie could step further back, a wall of fire appeared behind her, trapping her with this insane monster. Trixie started hyperventilating as she realized just how screwed she was. The pony magician turned back to face the approaching Vaati Reborn, and did the one thing she had hoped never to do; she curled herself up on the ground and began crying in terror. "P-please, d-d-don't kill me," she whimpered desperately. "I-I'll do anything you want! Please, just let me go!"

Vaati Reborn loomed over her, grinning sadistically. "Not so great and powerful _now_ , are you, little girl?" he said, glaring down at the terrified pony. "You talked big, but when the real challenge comes along, you huddle like a little coward and beg for your life. You worthless, pathetic little cretin!"

Trixie just put her hooves over her head and shook in terror as tears streamed down her face. Vaati tore right into her with his words. "Your magic is hardly impressive. So, to make yourself look bigger, you make up stories and embarrass those who have shown you what talent really is. You're not Great or Powerful. You're not even a magician! You know what you are?"

Vaati leaned down close to Trixie's ear. "You're _nothing_ ," he whispered.

Trixie started sobbing louder as Vaati stood upright. "You've already begged for your life. But I want to hear something else come out of your mouth."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Trixie wailed.

"Not that, you blubbering idiot!" Vaati snarled. "I want you to _admit_ how worthless you are! I want to hear the words come out of your mouth! SAY IT!"

"Please…" Trixie sobbed.

"Say it!"

"Please…don't…"

"I said _say it_!"

"I can't…"

"SAY IT IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!"

"I'M WORTHLESS!" Trixie yelled miserably, her sobbing louder than ever. "I'm not great and powerful! I'm just a worthless nobody who'll never amount to anything! I don't deserve my fans! I don't deserve anything! I DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO LIVE!"

Trixie covered her face and sobbed some more, her secretly-kept low self-esteem rearing its ugly head. Vaati's lip curled in disgust. "That's just pathetic. So _this_ is the real Trixie. Beneath all the dramatic flair and bravado, you're just a sad, little girl who can't deal with the fact that the world's a cold, cruel place. You disgust me. You're not worth my time. Or anyone else's, for that matter. I will spare your life today, Trixie, but know this…if you ever show your face in Ponyville again, I will _not_ show mercy a second time."

_GGRRRRRRRRR_.

Vaati and Trixie suddenly both went very quiet. Neither of them had made that noise. So what…?

Vaati slowly turned his head, and even his heart skipped a beat in sudden fear at the creature looming over him.

It had to be the biggest bear he had ever seen in his life. It was much larger than even Vaati's winged eye form. Its body appeared almost spectral, being slightly transparent and appearing reminiscent of a light-blue starscape. The humongous animal growled again as it left its cave. "That's a…that's a…" Vaati stuttered.

"IT'S AN URSA MAJOR!" Trixie shrieked, so terrified she didn't even notice herself running headlong through the flames, her cloak catching on fire.

Vaati remembered a little bit of what he had read about them. Their power level was on par with the Princesses', and they were quite literally impossible to kill. All that aside, there was no way he was going to let this thing get anywhere close to Ponyville. As the Ursa growled at Vaati, the sorcerer gathered energy in his palms. "You should have stayed in your little cave," he intoned, his eyes glowing brighter. " _Let's go_."

XXXXXX

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike nervously trudged through the thick foliage of the Everfree Forest, Twilight's horn lighting the way. Spike shivered in fear from where he sat atop Twilight's back. "Why? _Why_ did they have to meet in the Everfree Forest? _At night_?"

"Don't worry, Spike," Twilight assured. "We'll find them soon enough and get this whole thing sorted—"

A bloodcurdling scream interrupted Twilight, causing all three of them to tense up in alarm. "That sounded like Trixie!" Rainbow gasped.

"Oh no!" Twilight exclaimed. "Are we too late?"

"AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEEHHHHHH!"

Trixie, looking absolutely terrified, burst out from the bushes and ran past them, her cape still smoking. "Trixie!" Twilight yelled, turning around to follow her.

Suddenly her heart stopped as she heard a distant roar, followed by a familiar voice crying out in shock and pain.

Vaati.

The two ponies and dragon rushed towards the source of the noise, but before they got much further, something else flew by them, crashing painfully into a tree hard enough to split the trunk. Vaati, back in his normal form and looking badly injured and extremely fatigued, slumped to the ground, groaning in pain.

"VAATI!" Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike all screamed in horror, rushing to the mage's side.

"Guh…nngh…" Vaati moaned weakly. "Twilight…get…out…of here…"

"Vaati! What happened?" Twilight screamed, tears flowing down her eyes.

Vaati, with what little strength he had left, grabbed her by the neck and brought her to eye level. "I said…get…out…of…here…Ur…sa…"

Vaati's grip loosened as he blacked out from his injuries. "Nonono, please don't die!" Twilight begged, putting her ear on his chest, sighing in relief as she felt his heart beating. "Oh, thank Celestia, he's just unconscious."

"Um, T-Twilight?" Rainbow stuttered fearfully. "Did he just say U-Ursa?"

Suddenly they heard a loud, earth-shaking thump not far away as trees gave way as a huge form pushed its way through. "We gotta go!" Twilight yelled, lifting Vaati's body with her magic as the Ursa burst out of the trees, roaring angrily.

Spike held on for dear life as Twilight weaved through the foliage while still carrying Vaati's body, Rainbow flying a short distance above them. The Ursa plowed right through the trees, intent on its prey. "Where're we going?!" Rainbow yelled. "We can't just lead that thing to Ponyville!"

"I know it sounds crazy, but it might be our only chance!" Twilight responded. "Go on ahead and warn everypony!"

"Got it!" Rainbow said, saluting before speeding off ahead of Twilight.

Twilight just kept running, concentrating on holding Vaati's body in front of her as she ducked and weaved through the trees and branches, the Ursa not far behind.

XXXXXX

Rainbow emerged from the forest and hovered in the air. "EVERYPONY LISTEN UP!" she yelled, catching the townsponies' attention. "There's an Ursa Major coming to town, and unless you wanna get your flanks stomped on, then you'll GET THE BUCK OUT OF TOWN RIGHT NOW!"

As if to back up her argument, a thunderous roar sounded from the forest, accompanied by a loud thumping that resembled footsteps. Everypony promptly flew into a panic, running about in random directions, some running into their houses and locking their doors. Suddenly Twilight appeared from the forest's edge, still carrying Spike on her back and Vaati with her magic. Not two seconds later, the Ursa burst forth from the trees as well, bellowing fiercely.

Twilight ran into a nearby alley and set Vaati down against the wall. "Spike, stay with him," Twilight ordered.

"Gotcha," Spike answered, jumping off her back.

Leaving her charges, Twilight ran back out into the town square, where the Ursa was making quite the mess, biting the roofs off houses and stomping on random carts. Snips and Snails pounded on the door of Trixie's wagon, but she didn't answer. "Great and Powerful Trixie!" Snails cried. "There's an Ursa Major out there! Aren't ya gonna vanquish it like the last one?"

"Yeah, come on!" Snips added. "Vanquish it!"

"I can't," came Trixie's morose reply. "That story was made up. I never vanquished an Ursa Major. Nopony can."

"WHAT?!" Snips and Snails both cried in shock and horror.

"Just get out of here. Leave Trixie to her fate."

Just then, both ponies noticed the shadow loom over them. They slowly turned to see the Ursa glaring down at them. Screaming in fright, they bolted, leaving Trixie's wagon unguarded. Trixie looked out the window of her wagon to see the enraged animal about to crush her wagon underfoot. She did nothing. She just stared.

Seeing this, Twilight, with her magic, pushed the wagon out of the Ursa's path just before its paw could flatten the carriage and its suicidal occupant. Sensing the magic, the Ursa whipped its head around and stared down at Twilight, who stood alone in the square with a determined look. The Ursa stomped towards her, growling.

"Okay, here goes," Twilight muttered nervously to herself as her horn glowed.

A light breeze suddenly picked up, whistling through the cattails of a nearby pond and creating a soothing melody that reverberated through the Ursa's ears, calming it. "Whoa, nice use of number sixteen!" Spike quietly congratulated her as the Ursa began swaying on its feet.

Twilight's horn began glowing more brightly, sparks flickering around it. The water tower near Sweet Apple Acres suddenly lifted off its pedestal and unscrewed the cap, pouring out all the water before sending it through the large barn, gathering milk from the complaining cows as it passed through. Once filled and out of the barn, the cap closed, and Twilight brought the improvised bottle over to the swaying Ursa, lifting it onto its back and placing the bottle between its paws. The Ursa closed its eyes and started suckling on the bottle much like an infant. Twilight's horn was now glowing so brightly it almost hurt to look at it.

Vaati blearily opened his eyes and saw Twilight out there dealing with the Ursa. A small smile crept across his face at Twilight stepping up to the plate before lapsing out of consciousness again. Twilight then sent the Ursa floating away, back into its cave in the Everfree Forest, where it would hopefully stay. Once she was certain Ponyville was safe, she slowly let her magic die down before collapsing from exhaustion, the sounds of raucous cheers slowly becoming muffled as she fell into a nice, quiet realm of unconsciousness.

XXXXXX

"Unnhh…"

Twilight slowly opened her eyes to see all her friends surrounding her, worried smiles on their faces. She took note of her surroundings and realized she was in her bed at the library. However, much to her surprise, there was one other pony hanging towards the back, looking dejected.

It was Trixie.

It was at that moment she realized someone was missing. "Vaati…?" she murmured.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake, Twilight!" Fluttershy said.

"You gave us quite the scare there, sugarcube," Applejack added. "Vaati's in th' hospital, recoverin' from his injuries, but he'll be fine."

"The Ursa?"

"Still in the Everfree," Rainbow Dash answered. "That was really awesome, how you sent him away like that!"

Twilight's ears flattened against her head in shame. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "For letting you all down like I did. I was just afraid—"

"Rainbow already told us, darling," Rarity interrupted with a soft smile. "We don't think any less of you for your magical abilities, Twilight. They're a part of who you are, and you should never try and hide that based on how others are judged."

"Besides, I should be the one apologizing," Trixie suddenly said, catching everypony's attention. "I was so caught up in my own image I started acting unfair to my own audience."

Trixie held her head low, her hair falling over her eyes. She was not wearing her costume. "I spent so many years building up that false image, trying to get noticed, to become famous…I…started to believe my own lies."

Trixie was trying to hold back tears, and failing miserably. "I was a stupid foal, thinking that a bunch of made-up stories and exaggerated abilities would change what I really was. A nopony. Just a sad, little girl who can't deal with the fact the world's a cold, cruel place."

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that just sounds melodramatic."

"Tell that to your resident spawn of Tartarus, _Vaati_ ," Trixie snapped, unable to stop the tears flowing from her eyes. "I hate that monster! I hate him because he's right!"

"What in tarnation d'ya mean 'spawn 'a Tartarus'?" Applejack questioned, narrowing her eyes.

Trixie shivered. "I…saw him… _change_ …The whipping winds…that horrid _eye_ …"

The Mane Six traded worried, confused looks. Just what was she talking about? What had Vaati done? "Sooo, like I was saying," Rainbow said, trying to change the subject, "that was really awesome how you dealt with that Ursa Major!"

Twilight shook her head. "That's the thing. That wasn't an Ursa Major. That was just a baby. An Ursa _Minor_."

Everypony's heads all shot upright. "That was just a baby?!" Trixie exclaimed.

"If that was an Ursa Minor," Spike said, shaking, "what's an Ursa Major like?"

"…You don't wanna know."

"Minor or not, I won't feel safe until Vaati's locked up in Tartarus where he belongs," Trixie said quietly, walking down the stairs. "I've overstayed my welcome anyways. Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle."

Trixie then disappeared down the stairs. Shortly they heard the door slam, signaling her exit from the library. Glancing out the window, Rarity saw Trixie slowly hitch herself to her travelling carriage and head out of town, hanging her head low to hide her face in shame. No one paid her any attention. It really was sad seeing something like that. "You think somepony should go after her?" Rarity asked. "She looked so down in the dumps."

"No, let her go," Twilight answered. "I'm sure she'll learn her lesson. We've got enough to worry about anyways."

"Vaati, ya mean?" Applejack inquired.

"I don't know what he did that made Trixie say that, but it worries me. I've lived with him for more than a week now and I still know virtually nothing about him or his abilities. All I know is that he has an affinity for weather-based magic, especially if it involves strong winds. I want to know more about him, but at the same time…I'm afraid of what I'll discover."

The gathered ponies and dragon could not think of what to say.

XXXXXX

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I have learned a very valuable lesson about friendship. I was so afraid of being thought of as a showoff that I was hiding a part of who I am. My friends helped me realize that it's okay to be proud of your talents, and there are times when it's appropriate to show them of, especially when you're standing up for your friends._

_Your Faithful Student,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

_P.S. – My doubt in myself and my friends caused me to get into an argument with Vaati. He went off to confront the mare that started all this and somehow left her a depressed wreck. Trixie was a showoff and a braggart, but I am still unsettled by how Vaati was able to break her like that. She also mentioned him being a spawn of Tartarus, and changing somehow. I don't know what she meant by that, but I aim to find out._

Princess Celestia closed the letter and cast a worried glance towards her sister. "I'm worried for my student, Luna," Celestia said.

"I hath gazed into the dreamscape of the Sorcerer of Winds," Luna answered. "His dreams are dark and full of pain and hate. I hath done thy best to expulse his nightmares, but unless he faces his past sins, I fear it will only worsen."

"Maybe it was a mistake to let Vaati stay with Twilight."

"Do not doubt thine judgment, dear sister. Twilight Sparkle and her friends represent the very elements of friendship. Thou must have faith that they can help him."

Celestia could not bring herself to doubt her sister's words. But neither could she shake the feeling that Vaati was more dangerous than she wanted to believe.


	3. Episode 3: Bridle Gossip

### Episode Three: Bridle Gossip

Twilight, Spike, and Vaati had just left the library to bask in yet another glorious sunny day. Twilight sighed. "Ah, what a gorgeous day!"

Vaati merely 'hmph'ed in response. "Rainbow Dash must've gotten up early and cleared all the clouds away!" Spike said as he adjusted himself on his position on Twilight's back.

"I bet the whole town'll be out enjoying the sunshine," Twilight surmised with a smile.

All three of them suddenly stopped short as they noticed the whole town was empty. "Huh? Where is everypony?" Twilight asked in confusion.

Vaati happened to notice the nearby door of a house was open, a filly peeking curiously outside. Suddenly the foal's mother grabbed her child, pulled her inside, and quickly slammed the door shut. "Is it some kind of pony holiday?" Spike asked.

"Not that I know of," Twilight answered.

As Twilight and Spike conversed, Vaati glanced warily about his surroundings, his cold eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Does my breath stink?" Spike asked, coughing up flames into his hand and sniffing it.

"Not more than usual."

"Something's not right," Vaati interrupted. "Stay close to me, both of you."

"What is it?" Spike shakily asked. "Is it…zombies?"

"Not very likely," Twilight answered.

"Not likely, but…possible?"

"If there are any zombies, you stay behind me until I've taken care of them," Vaati instructed.

"Guys, there aren't any zombie ponies!" Twilight said. "Vaati, stop getting Spike all worked up!"

Twilight suddenly realized something. "Wait…are there zombies in your world, Vaati?"

"They're more commonly referred to as ReDeads," Vaati replied simply. "But yes…we have them."

"Psst!" came a sudden hiss.

Twilight and Spike jumped in surprise as Vaati whirled around towards the source of the noise, a spell in his hand ready to cast. The noise appeared to have originated from Sugarcube Corner. The top half of the front door was open. Suddenly Pinkie Pie's head popped out from behind the door. "Twilight!" she whispered. "Spike! Vaati!" Her head ducked again behind the door as Vaati dispelled his energy ball in relief. "Come here!" Her hoof poked out, ushering them towards her. "Come! Here!" She stuck her head out again. "Hurry! Before she gets you!"

Twilight and Vaati glanced at each other before shrugging and heading inside. All the lights of Sugarcube Corner were off. As Pinkie turned on a flashlight, Spike hugged Twilight's neck in fear. "Who? The zombie pony?"

"Z-z-zombie pony?" Pinkie stammered, her eyes going wide with terror.

"Spike, there are no zombie ponies!" Twilight chided before looking at Pinkie. "Pinkie, what are you doing alone in the dark?"

"I'm not alone in the dark!" Pinkie answered, turning on a single light, revealing the rest of the Mane Six gathered behind them, as well as Applejack's little sister, Applebloom.

"Okay, what are you all doing here in the dark?" Twilight asked, glancing at all of them.

"We're hidin' from…her!" Applejack answered shakily, pointing towards the window.

The whole group glanced out the window to see a hooded pony-like creature digging at the ground a short distance away. Suddenly the figure glanced back towards them, revealing glowing yellow eyes. Everypony sans Vaati and Twilight ducked out of view. "Didja see her, Twilight?" Applebloom asked. "Didja see…Zecora?"

"Applebloom!" Applejack snapped. "Ah toldja not to say that name out loud!"

"Well, I saw her glance this way," Twilight said.

"Glance eeeeeevilly this way!" Pinkie interrupted.

Twilight nudged her away from her face. "And then a bunch of you flip out for no good reason!"

"No good reason?" Applejack shot back. "Ya call protectin' yer kin no good reason? Why, the moment little Applebloom saw Zecora comin' into town, she started shakin' in her little horseshoes!"

As Applejack said that, she began shaking Applebloom. "Di-i-i-i-id n-o-o-o-o-ot!" Applebloom said as she shook.

"So I swept her up 'n brought her here!" Applejack finished.

"I walked here mahself!"

"Fer safe-keepin'!"

"Applejack! Ah'm not a baby! Ah can take care 'a mahself!"

"Not from that creepy Zecora!"

"She's mysterious," Fluttershy said.

"Sinister!" Rainbow Dash added.

"And spooooky!" Pinkie finished.

Vaati, still glancing out the window, interrupted, "So am I. I don't see any of you complaining."

A short, awkward silence followed. Hoping to break the tension, everypony crowded around the disgruntled sorcerer and peered once more out the window. Outside, Zecora ceased pawing at the ground for a moment and removed her hood, revealing a white-furred equine head adorned with dark grey stripes. The crowded ponies all gasped, except for Twilight, who just said, "Will you cut that out?"

"Just look at those stripes!" Rarity complained. "So garish."

Vaati rolled his eyes. "She's a zebra," Twilight explained.

"A what?" everypony, including Vaati, surprisingly enough, simultaneously asked.

"A zebra. And her stripes aren't a fashion choice, Rarity. They're what she was born with."

This information appeared to be too much for Rarity to handle, and the fashion pony dramatically fell on her back in a dead faint. Vaati bit back a snide remark and glanced out the window again. "Born where?" Applejack asked. "Ah ain't ever seen a pony like that before, 'scept fer…her!"

Rarity quickly recovered from her faint and stood up again as Twilight answered, "Well, she's not from around here. And she's not a pony. My books say that zebras come from a faraway land, but I've never seen her in Ponyville. Where does she live?"

"That's just it!" Applejack replied nervously. "She lives in…the Everfree Forest!"

The moment she said that, a loud crashing noise reverberated from the kitchen, startling everypony. Seeing who it was, Twilight admonished, "Spike!"

Apparently Spike had snuck into the kitchen to pilfer some of Pinkie's treats and accidentally knocked over a few pots and pans. "Sorry," he muttered sheepishly.

"The Everfree Forest just ain't natural!" Applejack said. "The plants grow…"

"Animals care for themselves," Fluttershy added.

"And the clouds move…" Rainbow added.

"All on their own!" the three ponies chorused.

Rarity fainted again. Vaati threw up his hands in exasperation. "What in Din's name is wrong with this world?! How is it that none of that is considered normal?!"

"There's a story behind that," Twilight replied with a weak smile. "But now's not exactly a good time."

"And that wicked enchantress Zecora lives there, doing her evil…uh, stuff!" Pinkie cried. "Why, she's so evil, I even wrote a song about her!"

"You what?" Vaati asked, deadpan.

"Here we go," Rainbow groaned as Pinkie began singing, darting hyperactively around the room as she sang.

" _She's an evil enchantress,_

_She does evil dances!_

_And if you look in her eyes,_

_She'll put you in trances!_

_And you know what she'll do,_

_She'll mix up an evil brew!_

_And she'll gobble you up_

_In a big tasty stew, so…_

_WATCH OUT_!"

When Pinkie was finished, she was standing on her hind legs on a table, holding her forehooves over her head as she breathed heavily. Everypony just stared at her for a moment. Finally Vaati broke the silence. "What…was I just forced to watch?"

"It's a work in progress," Pinkie proudly answered as she got down on all fours again and jumped off the table.

"This is all just a bunch of gossip and rumors," Twilight said. "Tell me. What exactly have you seen Zecora do?"

"Well," Rainbow began. "Once a month, she comes into Ponyville…"

"Ooh," Twilight interrupted in a mock-horrified tone.

"Then she lurks near the stores," Rarity added.

"Oh, my!" Twilight spoke mockingly.

"And then, she digs at the ground," Fluttershy finished.

"Gracious!...Okay, I'm sorry, but how is any of that bad? Maybe she comes to town to visit!"

"Yeah!" Applebloom added. "Maybe she's just tryin' to be neighborly."

"And maybe she's not lurking near the stores; maybe she's _going_ to them, lurk-free, to do some shopping!"

"Yeah!" Applebloom interjected. "Everypony likes to shop! Ya know what Ah think?"

"Applebloom! Hush and let the big ponies talk!" Applejack interrupted, nudging Applebloom aside.

"Ah am a big pony!" Applebloom muttered bitterly to herself as she moved towards the back by the door, where Vaati was still glaring out the window.

"What about the digging at the ground?" Rainbow asked. "You gotta admit that's weird."

"What if she's digging around for innocent creatures?" Fluttershy implied with a worried glance.

Vaati snorted derisively before gritting his teeth in annoyance as Pinkie started working on her song in the background in her usual obnoxiously loud way. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for everything Zecora does," Twilight admonished Applejack. "If anypony here were actually brave enough to approach her, she would find out the truth!"

Applebloom blinked as an idea suddenly came to her. "Well Ah'm brave enough," she whispered to herself, nudging open the door. "Ah'm gonna go find out mahself."

Quietly, Applebloom snuck out the door while the ponies were still bickering to themselves. Vaati glanced their way and shook his head condescendingly. These ponies had a little more in common with Hylians than he had initially perceived. He didn't know whether to be pleased or disappointed. Deciding not to think on it too much, the sorcerer turned his head back towards the window just in time to see Zecora wandering off towards the edge of town.

What caught his eye, though, was the little yellow filly with red hair and a big red bow discreetly following the zebra.

Vaati's eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Now what is she doing?" he whispered to himself, watching Applebloom tailing Zecora.

He glanced once more towards the Mane Six, who paid him no mind at all as they continued to debate about Zecora. Rolling his eyes, he decided he needed a change of scenery anyway and quietly slipped out the door to catch up with Applebloom, casting a cloak of invisibility over himself so he would not be seen escaping.

Not noticing the absence of two of their own, Twilight said, "You ponies are being ridiculous!"

"Well, I heard Zecora _eats hay_ ," Pinkie retorted.

"Pinkie, _I_ eat hay," Twilight responded crossly. " _You_ eat hay."

"Yeah! But I heard it's the _evil_ way she eats hay!"

"Hey!" Applejack suddenly yelled in alarm, glancing around in panic. "Where's Applebloom?"

All eyes immediately darted towards the still-open door. "The door's open!" Fluttershy gasped.

"She went outside!" Rarity cried.

"Vaati's gone, too!" Rainbow exclaimed, her eyes widening in terror. "What if he took Applebloom to offer her up as a sacrifice to Zecora?!"

Everypony sans Twilight gasped. "Rainbow, that's not fu-!" Twilight was interrupted by the sight of Applejack bolting out the door with a look of wild panic on her face. "AAAPPLEBLOOOOOM!" she yelled as she ran.

"We'd better go after her," Twilight said, glaring at Rainbow.

"What?" the cyan Pegasus asked.

"Spike, you stay here in case Applebloom or Vaati come back," Twilight ordered.

Spike saluted as the other ponies ran out the door after Applejack. "Will do!"

XXXXXX

Applebloom cautiously trailed after Zecora, her eyes slowly widening in growing fear as they neared the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Still unaware she was being followed, Zecora entered the forbidding woods, unconcerned with the many horrors that might lie concealed within the gnarled trees. Applebloom suddenly stopped right at the very edge of the path where the tree line cast its shadow across the ground. But the farm pony shook off her fear, took a deep breath, and went in.

Vaati had to admit, the girl's resolve impressed him. She couldn't be older than five, and yet she possessed the stubborn bravery of his once-hated adversary, Link. Vaati forced himself not to shiver in displeasure at the thought of his former enemy. He needed as much of his concentration as possible to maintain his shroud of invisibility as he quietly floated behind Applebloom so as to not alert her with his footsteps.

A particularly mean-spirited part of him wanted him to drop the spell and scare the daylights out of the poor child, but his mature, logical side easily won out. He was too curious about the mysterious Zecora to indulge in a childish prank that would immediately blow both of their covers. Vaati wasn't that dumb.

As they moved deeper and deeper into the forest, they passed by a large patch of brilliant blue flowers. Not wanting to disturb the natural beauty of it, Vaati and Applebloom circled around the flower patch, as did Zecora, surprisingly enough. They were making good progress. Wherever Zecora lived, it had to be close.

And then the silence was unceremoniously spoiled. "APPLEBLOOM!" came Applejack's frantic voice.

Startled, Vaati lost his concentration and de-cloaked right beside Applebloom, who reacted to the sight of her sister and her friends all staring at her from where they stood in the flower patch before jumping at the sight of Vaati standing next to her with an expression resembling a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

But the worst part was the fact that Zecora had heard them and turned her head. Caught, Vaati flashed a deadly glare in the Mane Six's direction. "Blast it all, you miserable pea-brains!"

"See?! I told you Vaati was gonna give her to Zecora as a sacrifice!" Rainbow Dash cried.

Vaati recoiled in shock. "I… _what_?!"

"Rainbow!" Twilight chided angrily.

"Applebloom, you get back 'ere right now!" Applejack demanded, stomping her hoof.

Zecora frowned. "Beware, beware you pony folk," she intoned in an exotic accent, stepping back into a dense mist. "Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

Vaati sharply glanced down towards the flowers and noticed his cape was fluttering dangerously near one. Deciding Zecora's advice was worth heeding, the mage quickly pulled his robe away from the plant. Applejack quickly flopped a startled Applebloom onto her back, glaring at the zebra. "You…you keep yer creepy mumbo-jumbo to yerself, ya hear?"

"Yeah, was that supposed to scare us?!" Rainbow arrogantly demanded, causing the others (except Twilight) to voice their own complaints.

Well, except Pinkie, who just started up her song again. Vaati's eye twitched once before he lifted his hand and cast a small spell, forcefully shutting Pinkie's mouth. "Beware! _Beware_!" Zecora called.

And then the thick mists of the forest claimed her, and she was gone. "Yeah, back at ya, Zecora!" Rainbow boasted. "You and your lame curse are the ones who better beware!"

Applejack turned her head and glared at her pouting sister. "And you…why couldn't ya just listen to yer big sister?!"

"I…I, uh…"

"Maybe because her big sister was being a thick-headed simpleton lacking the mental capacity to keep from jumping to conclusions," Vaati snapped.

Applejack jerked her head up and met the mage's glare. "Says the one who was gonna offer mah sweet little sister up as a sacrifice to a creepy enchantress!"

"And there you go again!" Vaati shouted again before turning his attention to the others. "I can't believe the stupidity of you ignorant dull-wits! Thinking I would sink so low as to offer a child as a sacrifice to a mysterious person who might not actually be evil! Even at my worst, I would have _never_ done something that cruel! How dare you suggest that I would?!"

The group recoiled in shock at Vaati's harsh words. Not even Twilight could think of something to say, even considering the fact that she didn't share her friends' opinion. Vaati turned around, his cape whipping dramatically around him. "I'm going home, before you start thinking up more ludicrous rumors to pin on my reputation."

The mage began stomping off. Realizing he was upset, Pinkie started bouncing after him, Vaati's mouth-sealing spell having worn off. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you—"

"NO!" Vaati yelled, turning around and pointing a finger at a startled Pinkie. "I don't want to talk to you, Pinkie! You're no better than the others! Just do me a favor, shut your mouth, AND DON'T BOTHER ME FOR THE REST OF THE BLOODY DAY!"

With that, the furious wind mage left them alone in the woods. Everypony was dead silent. Pinkie just stared wide-eyed at where he had disappeared. To Twilight's curiosity, Pinkie seemed to suddenly just…deflate somehow. Her hair slowly lost its poofiness and went straight and limp, and her coat lost some of its bright pink luster, becoming slightly greyed. The pink party pony's lip started quivering. Somehow sensing how distraught Pinkie was, Twilight slowly approached her. "Uh…Pinkie? You…alright?"

Suddenly she stepped back in awful surprise as Pinkie broke into tears, covering her face with her hooves as she sobbed uncontrollably. Twilight was shocked. She had never seen Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, cry before, and it nearly tore her heart in two. The other ponies quickly gathered around their bawling friend and initiated a group hug.

"There there, Pinkie," Rarity cooed. "It's alright, dear."

"No, i-i-it's not alright!" Pinkie blubbered. "Vaati ha-ha-a-a-ates meeee!"

"No, he doesn't hate you, Pinkie," Twilight assured her, gently stroking Pinkie's flattened mane. "He's just a little upset about _somebody_ thinking up a crazy rumor about him!"

Twilight glared at Rainbow, who smiled nervously. "Okay, yeah. Maybe I did get ahead of myself."

Twilight said nothing as the Mane Six and Applebloom huddled together to comfort Pinkie.

XXXXXX

It was nearing nightfall when Twilight finally returned to the library. Spike was rearranging some books, taking care to keep his distance from Vaati, who was sitting in the far corner of the library, reading a book on Equestrian history. An unpleasant scowl was plastered on his face. Spike noticed Twilight enter and waved, "Hey, Twilight!"

Vaati looked up, his scowl softening only a little. Bidding Spike a quick hello, Twilight walked up to Vaati, a stern look on her face. "I can understand how upset you were at Rainbow coming up with that awful idea of hers," she said, "but there was no reason for you to yell at Pinkie like that."

"She's annoying," Vaati replied curtly, glancing back down at his book. "That song of hers was extremely grating. The last thing I needed was for her to throw me some silly party out of the blue."

"Vaati, you made her _cry_."

The mage blinked in surprise. "I didn't think she had it in her."

"That's not the point, Vaati!" Twilight chided. "You hurt her feelings really badly, and you need to apologize to her the next time you see her."

"Perhaps if she shuts up about curses and evil dances, maybe I'll consider it."

Twilight gritted her teeth in frustration. "First of all, there's no such thing as curses, and second of all—"

"I beg your pardon?" Vaati interrupted, raising an eyebrow. " _You_ , who possess magical prowess beyond most other unicorns, are telling _me_ that a basic category of magic like curses is _not real_?"

"My magic, _real_ magic, comes from within," Twilight explained. "It's a skill you're born with. Curses are artificial, fake magic, conjured with incantations and potions. It's all smoke and mirrors meant to scare. But curses have no _real_ power. They're just an old pony's tale!"

Twilight blinked in surprise when she saw Vaati's expression. He was giving her a look as if he had seen her sprout an extra head. Suddenly the sorcerer burst into a mad fit of laughter, startling Spike so badly he lost his balance on the stepladder he was standing on and tumbled to the ground, the books he had been carrying falling on top of him.

Predictably, this went unnoticed. Twilight glared at the cackling mage, waiting as he slowly calmed down. Finally Vaati looked her in the eye and flashed a condescending smile. "An old pony's tale? Ah, silly Twilight. You have a lot to learn about magic still."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight huffed.

Vaati stood up, setting the book down on the chair he had previously occupied. "Curses are _far_ from fake magic. The only magic that is _truly_ fake is fortune-telling and card tricks. Everything else, even potion-making, is an integral part of the magical arts."

Spike emerged from the pile of books and stared at Vaati, intrigued by Vaati's lesson. The mage began to pace around the room, Twilight following him with her eyes. "Curses are a form of dark magic. To put it in specific terms, curses are offensive magic meant to have a long-term effect on the target. They aren't conjured by potions, though incantations are a way of focusing more power into the spell, whether through concentration or enlisting the aid of magical spirits. I myself know quite a few curses, my most infamous being the Stoning Spell."

"The Stoning Spell?" Spike inquired curiously.

Vaati glanced at him before answering, "Whomever is struck by the curse is immediately turned to stone. Based on what I've read of your land's history, a similar spell was harnessed by the Elements of Harmony against a creature called Discord."

Twilight flinched slightly at the feared name. "But let us return to the topic at hand," Vaati continued, resuming his pacing. "Curses have a wide range of effects, ranging from permanent transformation into an animal or object, to immortality while suffering unimaginable pain, to _undeath_."

Vaati's audience shuddered in discomfort at the mere thought of meeting with any of those terrible fates. "But, perhaps the most famous of all curses has to be the Golden Trio cycle."

Twilight and Spike's eyes widened in curiosity. "The Golden Trio Cycle centers around three items of legendary power in my world," Vaati continued. "Three golden triangles that held the power of the Goddesses who created my world. Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Together they were called the Triforce. The cycle began after the Demon King Demise, the much-feared son of the Dark God Majora, was struck down by the Champion of the Goddesses, after he had attempted to seize the Triforce for himself. With his dying breath, he cursed the Champion and the goddess Hylia-incarnate and their descendants. For eternity, the Hero and the Princess would be reincarnated, and do battle with an incarnation of Demise's power and hatred. That incarnation came to be known as Ganondorf. Ironically enough, his curse doomed many of the demons who invaded Hyrule afterwards, including a manifestation of Majora himself. Whenever any enemy threatened Hyrule, a Hero would be there to defeat it…a Hero that I myself have fought against several times."

"Whoa," Spike marveled.

"You fought against a hero?" Twilight asked, worried. "Why?"

"A series of circumstances I don't feel like elaborating on, that's why."

Twilight backed off a little at Vaati's sharp retort. "Well, maybe there are curses in your world, but not in ours."

Vaati chuckled darkly, ascending the staircase up to his bed. "Oh, Twilight. You may find out that some "old pony's tales" really are true. And with that, I bid you goodnight."

Twilight said nothing as she watched the mage retire for the night.

XXXXXX

That night, Twilight's dreams were plagued by nightmares. She could hear Pinkie's incessant singing, Zecora's cryptic rhymes, and Vaati's warnings. Finally, when morning came, Twilight groggily opened her eyes and groaned, "Ugh, what a dream."

She sat up in her bed and noticed that Vaati's bed was empty. Not unusual; Vaati was an early bird. She narrowed her eyes. "Curses, shmurses."

Twilight got out of bed and walked over to her cabinet, crying out in mild surprise at her frazzled bed hair. "Haha, wow, maybe Zecora cursed my hair!"

Chuckling to herself, Twilight used her magic to lift her brush and start straightening her hair.

And then she suddenly screamed.

A bright flash of light heralded Vaati's quick arrival as the mage came to her aid. "Twilight!" he exclaimed as he saw her staring wide-eyed at her horn.

"M-my horn!" she cried.

Vaati blinked in surprise as he saw what had gotten Twilight so worked up. Her horn was no longer pointed and straight. It flopped over her forehead like a wet noodle. And to add insult to injury, it was covered in blue polka-dots. "Well, that was unexpected," Vaati muttered as Twilight ran down the stairs and began pulling out books frantically.

"Spike! Help me find something, ANYTHING, that tells me what the hay's wrong with my horn!" she cried.

"Huh? What's wrong with…oh." Spike clamped his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Vaati trudged down the stairs, nonchalantly dodging all the books Twilight cast aside with her magic. The book-smart unicorn could not find anything that seemed helpful and was starting to panic. "Vaati! Help me out here!" she cried.

Vaati glanced over at a particularly interesting book with a green cover. The mage picked it up and held it up to Twilight's face. "What about this one?" he inquired.

Twilight read the title. " _Super Naturals_. Vaati, the word supernatural refers to things like ghosts and spirits and zombies, which _do not exist in Equestria_. Just like curses! This book is just a bunch of hooey!"

She shoved the book back in the mage's face. "I'm not even going to bother commenting on just how wrong you are," he muttered sourly to himself.

"Yeah, Twilight," Spike spoke up. "What if Vaati's right? What if it really is a-?"

"Ppbppht!"

Everyone turned to see Pinkie Pie with her tongue sticking out of her mouth. This was not by choice, it seemed, for her tongue appeared to be swollen to the point it didn't fit in her mouth anymore. It too was covered in blue spots. As such, she was having a difficult time speaking. "A purse?" Spike asked, misinterpreting Pinkie's altered speech pattern. "How can it be a purse?"

"Pinkie!" Twilight exclaimed. "What happened to you?!"

"Ppffhht pbbhp blpphbp!" answered, spitting all over a disgusted Spike, who quickly stepped back and wiped himself off.

"Ugh, say it, don't spray it!" he complained.

Suddenly they were all interrupted by a crashing noise outside the library, accompanied by an "ow." Everypony looked over to see Rainbow Dash continuously crashing into the library window, as if she wasn't able to control her flight. "What she's trying to say is-*BAM*-ow, is that Zecora *BAM* ow…"

Suddenly Rainbow crashed through the door and slammed headlong into a bookshelf, getting entangled in one of the ladders. "…slapped us all with a curse!" she painfully finished.

"I'm afraid I would have to agree," came Rarity's voice.

Everyone turned to see Rarity looking like a shaggy dog. Her hair looked absolutely awful. Twilight and Spike recoiled in shock at the sight. Vaati, on the other hand, snickered in amusement. This promised to be an interesting day. "Ah hate to say Ah toldja so, Twilight," spoke the voice of Applejack, focusing everypony's attention on her, "but Ah toldja so!"

Vaati's snicker rose slightly in volume. Applejack was now small enough to fit in the palm of Vaati's hand. The cowpony was perched atop Applebloom's back. "It's a curse, Ah tell ya!" she yelled.

Twilight stammered for a moment before noticing Fluttershy walk up next to Rarity. "W-well, Fluttershy seems just fine!"

Fluttershy looked away. Vaati could tell she was hiding something. "Yes, there doesn't seem to be a thing wrong with her!" Rarity complained.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "Are you all right?"

Fluttershy flinched, but did not answer.

"Is there something wrong with you?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Would you mind telling us what it is?"

Fluttershy turned away and shut her eyes.

"So you're not gonna tell us?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Is that a yes you will or no you won't?"

"For the love of Din, _tell us what in Majora's name is wrong with you_!" Vaati shouted, having lost his patience.

Fluttershy gulped. "I don't wanna talk about it," she said in a very deep, masculine voice.

Vaati blinked in surprise for a moment before bursting into laughter. Spike quickly joined in and pointed at all of them. "Wow, this is hilarious!" he guffawed. "Look at all of you! We got Hairity, Rainbow Crash, Spitty Pie, Appletini, Flutterguy, and…"

Spike turned to Twilight, but slowly lost his grin as he failed to come up with a proper name for Twilight's condition. "Eh, I got nuthin'."

"How about erectile dysfunction?" Vaati quipped.

The whole group stared open-mouthed at the smirking mage as if he had just insulted Princess Celestia. Twilight then let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Haha, very funny. Quit fooling around and find some more books so I can find a cure!"

Vaati glanced down at Spike. "Spike, hop to it."

Spike, knowing better than to argue with the scary sorcerer, walked off to search the library, grumbling to himself. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash finally managed to disentangle herself from the ladder and started flapping haphazardly in the air. "I think we'll find a cure for these curses at Zecora's place!"

"It's not a curse!" Twilight snapped, causing Rainbow to crash into the wall.

"I actually have to agree with Twilight here," Vaati spoke, causing everypony to glance at him in surprise. "These are too benign to be any sort of curse. They fall more into the realm of hexes."

"Well, whatever it is, Ah agree with Dash!" Applejack said. "We'll go to Zecora's, and force her to remove this hex!"

"It's not a hex, either!" Twilight cried in a frustrated tone.

The whole group started arguing. Vaati, not feeling like joining in, walked up to the only unaffected pony in the room. "Applebloom," he said to the farm pony, who stepped back a little at the mage's scrutinizing look. "I cannot help but notice you look…normal."

"W-well, so do you," Applebloom replied nervously. "Ah guess."

Applebloom looked over at the bickering adults and sighed. "This is all mah fault."

"No pity parties in my presence," Vaati interrupted, holding up _Super Naturals_. "We have work to do."

"What kinda work?" Applebloom asked, a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"We're going to Zecora's place and settling this silly matter once and for all."

Applejack glanced over to see Vaati and Applebloom passing by the table she stood on. "Now where do they think they're goin' this time?" she whispered before jumping into Applebloom's tail.

The filly and the sorcerer quietly slipped out of the library unnoticed.

"I don't care what you say, Twilight!" Rainbow snapped. "It's time to pony up and confront Zecora! C'mon, girls! Are ya with me?"

"Pbbpt bpt!" Pinkie declared.

"And I as well," Rarity added.

"I don't know," Fluttershy said. "Seems awfully dangerous."

Spike snickered at Fluttershy's voice. Rainbow turned towards the table. "What about you, Applejack?"

She received no answer. "Applejack?"

"Shppth gubbt!" Pinkie spat.

"Ah! Somepony stepped on her!" Rarity cried, causing all the ponies to check their hooves.

"Or sat on her!" Twilight said, looking at her flank.

The other ponies did the same, but there was no sign of the shrunken cowpony. Rainbow suddenly got an idea. "Rarity's hair!"

Pinkie immediately began sifting through Rarity's hair, the fashionista complaining audibly. "Pinkie, haven't you ever heard of personal space?!"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nuppbt!"

"Applebloom and Vaati are gone too!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I bet they went after Zecora!" Rainbow surmised.

"Well, we better go find them," Twilight said, walking towards the door. "C'mon, girls. Let's go."

Rarity moved to follow, but couldn't get very far, as Pinkie had accidentally stepped on a lock of her hair. Noticing this, Pinkie lifted her hoof, allowing freedom for Rarity. "Hey guys, a little help here?!" Rainbow demanded as she slid along the floor upside-down, her hind legs flailing in the air.

"Oopsie, sorry," Fluttershy muttered as she and Pinkie helped her get to her feet.

Rainbow promptly crashed into the wall again. Smiling apologetically, she then flew out the door as Fluttershy turned to Spike, who was writing in a journal. "Uh, Spike? Are you coming?" she asked.

"Nope…uh, gotta stay here and look for a cure!"

With that, the Mane Six left. "Aha! Twilight Flopple!" Spike exclaimed, writing the idea down in his notebook.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, Applebloom and Vaati entered the Everfree Forest, determination burning in their eyes. Both suddenly stopped in surprise as they heard Applejack's voice. "Stop right there, you two!"

Applejack then popped out of Applebloom's mane. "Shame on ya for lurin' mah sister into the Everfree, Vaati! Now you both turn around and head back to the library, ya hear?"

Vaati and Applebloom smirked devilishly at each other before Applebloom replied, "No."

Applejack sputtered in surprise. "Whu—no?! You can't ignore a direct order from yer big sister!"

Applebloom threw her head up, tossing Applejack into the air and catching her in her mouth. The filly then put her on a branch hanging over a bramble bush and too far away from land for Applejack to escape. "Sorry, Applejack," Applebloom giggled, "but _Ah'm_ the big sister now!"

"Applebloom, you—"

"Hush now, Applejack," Vaati crooned fiendishly, putting a finger to his lips and grinning. "Just sit there and look pretty until we return, won't you? It would be an awful shame if a big, hungry hawk swooped down and carried you off, now wouldn't it?"

Applejack cringed. Vaati and Applebloom then continued off, leaving Applejack to fend for herself. "Applebloom, you get back here right this instant! Ah'm gonna tell Big Macintosh on you!"

She then realized she was stuck there. "Ah, ponyfeathers."

XXXXXX

Twilight led her companions into the forest, galloping as fast as they could. "C'mon, girls, we've got to get to Zecora's!" she commanded. "Hurry!"

Rarit tripped on her hair and fell to the ground. Now covered in dirt and leaves, she rose to her feet and huffed. "Easier said than done!" she complained before picking up her pace.

Rainbow Dash, still unable to control her flying, spun through the air erratically before crashing into a tree, swallowing a large bug as she did. As she tried to gather her bearings, said "bug" popped out of Rainbow's mouth, revealing herself to be a relieved Applejack. "Rainbow Dash! Thank Celestia yer here! There's no time to lose!"

Applejack quickly fashioned a makeshift bridle and leaped onto Rainbow, stuffing the bit in Rainbow's mouth. "Ah need to get to Zecora's, pronto! Giddyap, pony!"

"Excuse me?" Rainbow snapped.

"Yeehaw!" Applejack responded, kicking Rainbow's neck.

The Pegasus immediately rose involuntarily into the air. "What the?!" Rainbow cried.

Rainbow began spinning through the air as Applejack tried to direct her movements. "No, Dash! Other way!" Applejack demanded.

It took several adjustments to get Rainbow relatively on course.

XXXXXX

After much haphazard trudging through the thick undergrowth, the ponies were finally met with a truly bizarre sight. A house was carved into a huge tree trunk. Several spooky tribal masks and symbols were dotted around the house. Several bottles filled with different-colored potions were hanging off branches on ropes. "Oh my, I look horrible!" Rarity complained, glancing at what little she could see of her filthy mane.

"Thipph plappbt lppb hubbibbl!" Pinkie said, lifting up Rarity's hair so she could see.

"Oh my, that place really does look horrible," Rarity agreed.

The ponies quietly snuck up to the window and peered in. The house's interior looked even weirder, with even more masks and fermenting potions scattered around. "Nice decorations," Rarity said, "if you like creepy!"

Suddenly the back door opened, and Zecora walked out, carrying a bottle in her mouth. Oblivious to the snooping intruders, Zecora walked over to a boiling pot filled with a thick green substance. She then sprinkled the contents of the bottle into the concoction before setting it down and chanting in an unfamiliar language.

Pinkie recoiled in anger and pointed at the window. "Ssbp sppbbt mbb sub! Ssbp sppbbt mbb sub!"

"She stole your song?" Rarity interpreted questioningly.

"Oh, Pinkie," Twilight groused. "It doesn't sound anything like your song."

Pinkie got in her face and nodded furiously before going over to Fluttershy and grabbing onto her leg. She then flashed her puppy-dog eyes. Knowing what she wanted, Fluttershy sighed in resignation and began to sing blues-style as Pinkie danced.

" _She's an evil enchantress_

_And she does evil dances._

_And if you look in her eyes,_

_She will put you in trances._

_And what would she do,_

_She'll mix up an evil brew._

_Then she'll gobble you up_

_In a big tasty stew, so…_

_Watch out_."

"You saw those terrible things," Rarity said. "Now do you believe what we said?"

"Scary-looking masks, confusing incantations, and a great big bubbling cauldron?" Twilight answered reluctantly. "Everything is pointing to Zecora being…bad."

Then another thought occurred to her. "Or…what if she's just making soup?"

The ponies then glanced back through the window to see Zecora tasting her brew. "Mmm, the perfect temperature for ponies, I presume," she said to herself. "Now, where are that Vaati and Applebloom?"

Twilight's eyes bugged out in horror. "Or what if she's making Applebloom soup?!"

Everypony was quiet for a moment before they all started screaming in terror. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash and Applejack entered the picture, still spinning erratically through the air. "Ah'm comin', Applebloom!" Applejack yelled.

Rainbow then crashed right through the door, surprising Zecora. The zebra began yelling in her native tongue as Rainbow spun all over the room, crashing into things and breaking stuff. The door was suddenly busted open again by four angry-looking ponies. "What've you done with Applebloom?!" Twilight demanded.

Zecora ignored her, too busy yelling at Rainbow Dash. Applejack started twirling a lasso and latched it onto Zecora's ear, jumping on it and trying to take it down like a rodeo bull while Zecora looked on in confusion. "Ponies! What is this—" she began.

Suddenly Rainbow crashed into the cauldron, knocking it over and spilling its contents all over the floor. "No!" Zecora cried. "You know not what you do! You've gone and spilled my precious brew!"

"We're onto you, Zecora!" Twilight snapped. "I didn't want to believe that you cursed us, but the evidence is overwhelming!"

"You made me look ridiculous!" Rarity said.

"You made me _sound_ ridiculous!" Fluttershy added.

"Ppbbt bbhh ppbhht bbptbbhs!" Pinkie interjected.

"You ruined my horn!" Twilight accused.

"How dare you!" Zecora yelled angrily. "You destroy my home, destroy my work, then accuse me of being a jerk?!"

"You put this curse on us!" Rainbow snapped. "Now you're gonna uncurse us!"

"It is not wise to travel down this road," Zecora warned ominously. "Your actions will make my anger explode!"

" _Where is Applebloom_?" Twilight demanded.

Twilight and Zecora started butting heads and pushing against each other.

"Zecora, we're back," came the voice of Vaati.

Everyone turned to see Vaati and Applebloom looking perfectly fine. "Ah think we got all the ingredients ya asked for!" Applebloom added before both she and Vaati noticed the scene before them. "What in Ponyville is goin' on here?"

Vaati's eyes narrowed at the spilled cauldron. "Twilight, _please_ tell me you and your idiot friends didn't barge in here and ruin the potion we were making. I will be _very cross_."

Applejack gasped. "Applebloom! Yer okay!"

"Well why wouldn't Ah be?"

"Because Zecora's an evil enchantress who cursed us and was gonna cook you into soup!" Twilight explained.

To her great surprise, Zecora, Vaati, and Applebloom all began to laugh hysterically. "Twilight, for a total bookworm, you're still dumber than a box of rocks!" Vaati panted between laughs.

"Oh, Twilight! Did those silly fillies finally git in yer head?" Applebloom giggled. "Ya know there's no such thing as curses!"

Vaati stopped laughing at this.

"Applebloom, sweetie," Twilight responded, "you can't just tell me this all isn't a curse!"

"It's not a curse," Vaati explained. "You were actually right, and I was wrong, for once. Zecora, if you would explain to my dull-witted compatriots?"

"If you will remember back, the words I spoke were quite exact. "Beware, beware you pony folk! Those leaves of blue are not a joke!"

"It was a warnin'," Applebloom interjected, "about that blue plant. It's called Poison Joke."

"That plant is like poison oak, but its results are like a joke."

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?!" Applejack demanded impatiently.

"It means this plant does not breed wrath, instead this plant just wants a laugh."

"…Will somepony please talk normal?"

"The blue flower patch you idiots walked into played pranks on you," Vaati dully explained. "Simply little jokes."

" _Little_ jokes?" Applejack repeated. " _Very_ funny."

"I get it now!" Twilight said. "It all makes sense!"

"About bloody time," Vaati grumbled to himself.

"Okay, but what about the cauldron?" Rainbow demanded.

"And the chanting?" Fluttershy added.

"And the creepy décor?" Rarity finished.

Zecora turned and looked at her masks. "Treasures from the land I am from. This one speaks hello, and this, welcome."

"Not very welcoming, if you ask me," Rarity huffed.

"The words I spoke were from olden times, something you call a nursery rhyme."

"But…the cauldron," Twilight stuttered. "The Applebloom soup?!"

"Lookie here, Twilight," Applebloom answered. "That pot'a water wasn't fer me, it was fer all these herbal ingredients! The cure for Poison Joke's just a simple ol' natural remedy! Ya just gotta take a bubble bath!"

"But I tried to find a book like this in the library and found nothing!"

"Not hard enough, little Twilight," Vaati smugly replied, closing the book so Twilight could see the cover.

_Super Naturals_.

"But…"

"You, of all people, should have known not to judge a book by its cover, Twilight," Vaati chided before reading the book's full title. " _Super Naturals: Natural Remedies and Cure-Alls That Are Simply Super_."

Twilight held her head down in shame. "You're right, Vaati. I should have just tried it out instead of brush it off right away. I'm sorry. I had the answer the whole time, if I had only bothered to look inside."

Twilight looked up at Zecora. "Zecora, would you be willing to make another batch of your brew?"

Zecora chuckled amiably. "Mix it up, I certainly will. Yet Iam missing an herb from Ponyville."

"But whenever Zecora comes to town," Applebloom added, "all the shops are mysteriously closed."

"Oh…well, I think we can help you with that," Twilight answered with a shy grin. "Follow me."

As the ponies slowly filed out the door, Vaati said to Zecora, "Wait a moment, Zecora."

The zebra turned to see Vaati. "I need to know something," the sorcerer said. "I have to be certain. Are there curses in Equestria?"

Zecora frowned. "A dangerous topic, my bipedal friend. One that your curiosity must end."

Vaati smirked in triumph before heading towards the door. "Thank you, Zecora. That was all the answer I needed."

XXXXXX

Zecora's entrance into Ponyville was, unsurpriningly, met with terror and screams. But they rose in volume as they saw Vaati and the Mane Six alongside her. "The wicked enchantress has cursed them all!" one pony cried.

"The horror! The horror!" another screamed before the whole crowd scattered, locking their doors and shutting the windows.

Twilight walked up to the herbal store and knocked on the door. The proprietor tentatively opened the door slightly. "Daisy, we need to talk," Twilight said.

XXXXXX

Not long afterwards, the Mane Six were all enjoying Zecora's bubble bath at the spa, while Vaati sat in a corner and read _Super Naturals_. By now, everyone had returned to normal, earning a cause for celebration. One of the spa owners came up to Zecora and said, "Miss Zecora, I would like to get the recipe for this bath! It's simply luxurious!"

Zecora smiled and opened her mouth to answer before she was interrupted.

"Applejack!" Applebloom cried. "Where's Applejack?!"

Everypony started panicking and splashing around in the water.

"Ah'm right here, little sis!" Applejack said, back to her normal size and sitting overtop a tiny bucket. "Ah ain't tiny no more!"

Rarity sighed in contentment. "Ah, I've never felt so lovely in all my life!"

Pinkie suddenly poked her head out of the water and started babbling. "Oh my gosh, I never realized how horrible it is not to be able to talk! I mean, I love talking so much and my tongue was all—"

Pinkie's mouth was suddenly zipped shut. Twilight stole a glance at Vaati, whose hand had just ceased glowing. The mage looked up from his book and smirked. "Yes, such an awful shame. Was it not, dear Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy was quiet for a moment. "Yes," she finally said, her voice back to normal.

The whole group then shared a laugh.

XXXXXX

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_My friends and I all learned an important lesson this week: never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary, but you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your cover is; it's the content of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever._

_Your Faithful Students,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

_Vaati Picoru_

As Princess Celestia's eyes hung over the mage's name inscribed in different hand-writing from Twilight's own, the Sun Goddess allowed herself a small smile. Things just might work out after all.


	4. Episode 4: Hired Hoof

### Episode Four: Hired Hoof

Twilight opened the door to her library and took note of her surroundings. Spike saw her enter from where he stood on a stepladder, shelving a couple books and said, "Hey, Twilight!"

"Hey, Spike," Twilight answered before noticing the reason she had come back in the first place.

Vaati was sitting in his usual spot, engrossed in whatever book he was reading. As she approached, Vaati either didn't seem to notice her, or was just ignoring her. She blinked in surprise when she read the book's title: _Daring Do and the Wooden Mask_.

"Huh, didn't take you for the adventure novel enthusiast, Vaati," she said.

Vaati looked up. "I didn't either. But I've already read all your magic and history books, so I was running out of ideas. Then I happened to notice this book here, and its title caught my eye. I must say, this is an interesting read."

"Why this one?"

"Because the eponymous mask bears some startling similarities to an old legend in my world concerning the Heart of Darkness, Majora's Mask. It was a mask containing the sealed spirit of the God of Evil, Majora. Anyone who wore it was eventually corrupted by the mask and turned into Majora's puppet. He's rather like Discord, only far more malevolent."

Twilight inwardly shuddered. The legends she had read about Discord were somewhat unpleasant, but to hear about something that could have done even worse than him…

"Though I doubt you approached me for the purpose of quizzing me about my taste in fiction. What do you want?"

Twilight blinked as she remembered why she was bothering the mage to begin with. "Listen, Vaati. It's been more than a month and a half since you moved in…"

"…Mmhmmm?"

"And though I'm really grateful you helped us deal with that parasprite infestation last week..."

"…I never want to experience that again."

"…My friends and I have been talking…"

"That's all you ever do."

Twilight sighed audibly, and just spat it out. "Vaati, you need a job."

Vaati just gave her a deadpan stare, as if he were trying to gauge if she was actually being serious or not. "You're really bad at jokes, Twilight," he finally said. "Just stick to being a doormat, will you?"

Vaati then went back to reading his book. Groaning, Twilight put her hoof on the book and pushed it down, forcibly getting Vaati's attention again. "I wasn't joking, Vaati. Ever since you came here, you've been pretty much living off of me. I pay for all the food you eat, and it's starting to hurt my savings. You need a job so you can make a living like everypony else and stop being a leech."

Vaati frowned. "I take offense to being called a leech."

Twilight just glared back. "I'm not backing down on this. You. Need. A job."

Vaati quirked an unamused eyebrow. "And who exactly do you think will hire the local freak?"

"My friends are all willing to hire you. You could try each one of their suggestions out until you find one that suits you. You can help Applejack on the farm, Rarity with her dresses, Fluttershy with her animals, Pinkie Pie with the bakery, or Rainbow Dash and the weather team."

Vaati's lip curled slightly. "And if I refuse?"

"I kick you out. You won't make a very good impression trying to force your way back in, and you admitted you tolerate me more than my friends."

Vaati growled before slapping the book shut and tossing it aside. "Well, if I have no choice…"

Twilight smiled enthusiastically. "See? I knew you'd come around, Vaati!"

Vaati spent the next few minutes fantasizing unpleasant things happening to Twilight as she rambled on about the importance of jobs. Finally, he said through gritted teeth, "So…where to first?"

"Well, since I talked to Applejack first, we'll first head on over to Sweet Apple Acres. They could always use an extra hoo…well, hand, in your case, on the farm."

Vaati scoffed. "Me? Work at a farm? I am a legendary sorcerer! Such grunt work is beneath me!"

"Applejack said she's buck you in the legs if you didn't show up."

"Ugh! Fine! Let's go."

Vaati then stormed out the door, Twilight hurrying to catch up. The two of them walked in silence up to Sweet Apple Acres, immediately catching sight of Big Macintosh hauling a cartload of apples towards the barn. "Hey, Big Mac!" Twilight yelled, waving a hoof.

The large red stallion looked over at them and nodded in greeting. "Howdy, Miss Twilight," he said in a deep, baritone voice. "If yer lookin' for Applejack, she's out buckin' apples over there."

Bic Mac pointed over towards the orchard, where they could see Applejack bucking one of the apple trees, its fruit tumbling neatly into some baskets. Vaati's face contorted into a bitter scowl. "Let's just get this over with."

Twilight trotted ahead of the unhappy sorcerer to greet her friend. "Applejack!" she called.

Applejack turned towards them and grinned devilishly. "Well, look who decided to drop in," she said smugly, looking at Vaati. "Twilight was tellin' me you were lookin' fer some work."

Vaati sarcastically laughed. "Oh, I'm sure she's done a good job forcing all that nonsense into your head. I don't want a stupid…"

Applejack nonchalantly bucked the tree behind her without looking away from Vaati, a good-sized crack appearing in the bark. Vaati just stared blankly at her for a moment.

"…I mean, a job sounds wonderful."

Applejack smiled again. "That's what Ah like to hear! Judgin' from the looks of it, ya ain't ever done some honest hard work in yer life, have ya?"

Vaati smirked cockily. "Unnecessary when I have magic."

"Lookie here, mister. This here's an Earth Pony farm. We ain't ever had to use magic, and our business's been boomin' fer generations now! There won't be any magic mumbo jumbo here in Sweet Apple Acres!"

Vaati stared at Applejack incredulously. "You're kidding." He turned towards Twilight. "Tell me she's kidding."

Twilight shook her head. "A little hard work now and then never hurt anypony."

Vaati threw up his hands. "This is bloody unbelievable! Ugh!"

"Oh, quit acting like a child!" Twilight chided. "We're just going to see if you're cut out for farm work! If it doesn't suit you, we'll try something else."

Vaati blinked for a moment before smirking.

"And don't try to worm yer way outta it by doin' a mediocre job," Applejack said. "Or else you'll get to have a little meetin' with Bucky McGillicuddy and Kicks McGee!"

At Vaati's questioning glance, she motioned towards her back legs, which made his eyes widen ever so slightly. "Rrgh…fine. Just what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Well, Ah'm busy buckin' the apples, and Bic Mac's takin' them to the barn. Our garden could use some plowin', though."

She pointed towards the garden, where a plough was sitting. Vaati stared at it for a moment before turning back to Applejack. "I hope you realize how much I curse your existence."

Applejack just smiled good-naturedly. "Aw, you'll warm up to me eventually."

Vaati briefly considered taking that phrase literally and setting her on fire. Oh, he was sorely tempted, but his sane side won out in the end. With a displeased grunt, Vaati turned around with a dramatic flourish of his cape and strode towards the plough. "I'll keep an eye on him," Twilight said.

"Alright, Twi. Ah hope this works out, though."

Applejack then went off to continue bucking apples. Twilight turned around and headed over to the garden to oversee the mage's progress. Vaati stared at the plough for a few moments before sighing in defeat as he grabbed the handles, since, as a human, he couldn't strap the harness to him like a pony would, and pulled.

The plough didn't move.

Vaati pulled on it with all his might, but the farming implement refused to budge. He grunted in exertion as his pale face started to go red. Twilight put a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laughter as the sorcerer struggled. Realizing this was going nowhere, Vaati went to the back of the machine and began pushing on it as hard as he could, gritting his teeth as he broke out into a sweat. Still the plough didn't move an inch.

He pushed and pushed, his feet sliding along the ground until his legs finally gave way, causing Vaati to fall flat on his face.

It was too much for Twilight. The purple mare broke out into a fit of hysterical laughter and fell on her back. Vaati opened his eyes as he heard her guffaws. One of them started twitching.

Tears started coming to Twilight's eyes as she laughed on the ground. Suddenly her laughter was unceremoniously cut short when she heard the sound of an explosion not far away. She jerked her head up to see bits of smoldering wood falling from the sky, and a charred pile of wood and metal right where the plough used to be. Vaati was walking towards her with a look of tranquil fury on his face. "Get up, we're leaving," he growled. "NOW."

Still in shock, Twilight didn't protest as she got to her hooves and followed the disgruntled mage out of the farm before Applejack could find him. Once they were a fair distance from the farm and back in town, Vaati grunted, "Any more bright ideas, Twilight?"

"Well, the farm thing didn't work out, I guess," Twilight murmured before brightening immediately. "Rarity! We'll do her next!"

Vaati groaned. "Urgh, she's even less tolerable than Applejack!"

"Oh, you'll do just fine!" Twilight answered. "You wear clothes all the time. Surely you'd know a thing or two about fashion!"

"Just because I wear clothes doesn't mean I know how to make the—"

"We're here!"

Vaati looked up at the impressive structure everypony knew as Carousel Boutique and groaned in displeasure. The two of them walked up to the front door, and Twilight rapped on the door a couple times out of courtesy. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing Rarity, who beamed at the sight of her friend. "Ah, Twilight! Vaati! I knew you'd make it!"

"You knew we were coming?" Vaati asked with a raised eyebrow.

"But of course, dear Vaati! I knew you were heading to Sweet Apple Acres first, and you don't strike me as the 'farm' type, so I knew working for the Apple family wouldn't work out. You obviously have more refined tastes!"

Vaati smirked despite himself. "That's rather…generous of you, Rarity."

Rarity chuckled. "Oh, it's no trouble at all! Come inside, won't you?"

"Actually, Rarity, I have some errands to run," Twilight declined. "Vaati, you'll be working with Rarity on whatever she needs help with. I'll be back in about an hour."

Vaati sighed and walked past Rarity into the boutique. "Have a good day, Twilight!" Rarity called before shutting the door.

The fashionista then turned to her potential employee, who was silently taking in his surroundings. Several pony-shaped mannequins, some with completed dresses attached, sat in several areas of the room. The place was a mix between neat and cluttered. Rarity trotted up to the Wind Mage and smiled. "Alright, Vaati! Work has officially begun! Before we start, have you ever designed clothes?"

"No," Vaati flatly replied.

"Well, never too late to start!" Rarity chirped, summoning a piece of parchment and a pen with her magic and bringing it over to Vaati.

The sorcerer just stared at the pen and paper hovering in mid-air. "And what, exactly, do you expect me to do with this?"

"I want you to design a dress!" Rarity answered.

Vaati glanced past the pen and paper at her. "You do realize dresses where I come from are designed for people who walk on two legs, right? Designing a dress for a four-legged creature would automatically designate you as the town kook."

"You told me you've never designed a dress before, bipedal or quadrupedal," Rarity said. "There's nothing strange about learning about the latter first."

Vaati glanced back at the pen and paper and sullenly grabbed them out of the air, grumbling incoherently to himself as he went over to a nearby workbench and sat down. The mage began scribbling away as Rarity patiently waited. After a few minutes, Vaati put down the pen and stood up, showing the paper to Rarity. Whatever was on it, it made Rarity's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates and she laughed nervously. She was unable to form coherent words for the longest time, and finally just put it off to the side face-down on a table where nopony could see the horrific image Vaati's mind had spawned.

"Ahaha, perhaps we should start out with the basics," Rarity chuckled uncomfortably, moving over to a long table flanked by large rolls of colored fabrics and a shelf stocked full of buttons, ribbons, and other clothing accessories. "I'm going to need you to hold onto these for me, please."

Using her magic, she handed various objects over to the mage such as spools, ribbons, and glue. "Guh," Vaati grunted as he tried to balance all the stuff with his two hands.

Unfortunately, Vaati was not paying attention to where he was walking, and his foot suddenly stepped on the tail of Opalescence, Rarity's cat. Before Vaati could process the sound of an angry cat, the mage suddenly found his face engulfed in white fur and sharp claws. "GAAAHHH-AAAAAAAAHHRRRGGGGHHHH!"

Opalescence mercilessly clawed at Vaati's face, hissing and yowling in fury as the sorcerer dropped everything he was holding and tried to pry the cat off his face. "SWEET MOTHER OF DIN, SOMEONE GET THIS FREAKING CAT OFF ME!" he screeched over Opalescence's hissing fit.

Rarity had no idea what to do. She couldn't just pry off Opalescence with her magic; she could run the risk of seriously injuring Vaati. "Opalescence! B-bad girl!" she yelled. "Get off of him this instant!"

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH !"

Vaati stumbled all around the room, knocking over various mannequins and fabric rolls as he desperately tried to free himself from the claws of Opalescence. "Oh no, Vaati, watch out!" Rarity yelled, trying to steer the beleaguered sorcerer clear of any breakables. "To the left! The left! Ooooh!"

Vaati was a little too preoccupied to notice Rarity was yelling at him…or that he was about to crash into the collection of spare mannequins in the corner of the room. "No Vaati STOP!" Rarity cried.

_CRASH_.

Rarity slowly uncovered her eyes and took in the destruction. The boutique was a complete mess. Buttons, fabric, and ribbons were strewn everywhere. Vaati lay in a pile of broken mannequins, barely conscious as Opalescence jumped off him and went to go lay down somewhere else like nothing had happened. Rarity cautiously edged her way over to the sorcerer's prone form. "Um…Vaati, dear? Are you alright?"

Vaati's slightly-dazed, but murderous expression clearly said it all.

XXXXXX

_One hour later_ …

"Gah! That bloody stings!"

"Just hold still!" Twilight snapped as she applied a damp disinfecting cloth to a squirming Vaati's face.

The unhappy mage's face was covered in scratches as they sat on a park bench. Twilight frowned as she finished disinfecting Vaati's wounds. "Well, guess working for Rarity isn't gonna work out after all."

Vaati slowly turned his head and glared down at Twilight with the most sinister 'you don't say' expression he could muster. Twilight laughed nervously. "Ahaha, well I suppose Fluttershy could be next…"

"I was just _mauled_ by a bloody cat, Twilight," Vaati groused. "Considering my current track record with animals, I'd rather steer clear of the animal caretaker until further notice."

Twilight sighed. "Alright, we'll try Pinkie Pie next, then. If that doesn't work out, then we'll try Fluttershy."

Vaati groaned once again. "Oh, Goddesses help me. Not her…"

"What's the worst that could happen?" Twilight said, getting off the bench. "Pinkie can be grating sometimes, I'll admit. But all you guys'll probably be doing is baking cupcakes. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

Vaati stood up as well with a resigned sigh. "Considering my luck…" he grumbled under his breath as he and Twilight headed towards Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight opened the door, Vaati reluctantly following her inside. To his surprise though, it wasn't Pinkie Pie that was waiting for them. It was Mr. and Mrs. Cake, her aunt and uncle, as Vaati recalled. "Afternoon, Twilight," Mr. Cake said, tipping his hat towards the visitors. "Afternoon, Vaati. I take it you're here for that job offer Pinkie suggested to us?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Vaati gruffly responded.

Before anything else could be said, Pinkie burst out of the kitchen, dusted in flour and a wild grin so unnervingly happy it intimidated Vaati plastered on her face. "Vaati Vaati Vaati I'm soooo glad you made it we're gonna have so much fun making cupcakes!" she squealed without taking a single breath.

His eyes wide, Vaati instinctively took a step back. "Twilight, I don't know about this…"

"Oh come on, it's gonna be fun!" Pinkie chirped, bouncing over and pushing Vaati towards the kitchen, which for some reason Vaati likened to entering the gates of Tartarus. "We're gonna make cupcakes and muffins and cakes and all sorts of cool stuff! Come on come on come on!"

Before Vaati disappeared into the kitchen, the mage turned his head towards a giggling Twilight. "If I don't make it out of this, I'm haunting you forever," he growled.

Twilight just smiled and waved.

XXXXXX

_A few minutes later_ …

Vaati looked down at himself. A white apron a little small for his size was situated around his midsection. His normal cap, which was now off to the side where it, theoretically, wouldn't get cake batter all over it, had been replaced with a chef's hat. He really did look quite ridiculous.

"Alright, Vaati!" Pinkie cheerfully declared. "Time for your first lesson in making cupcakes! Listen carefully and watch ol' Pinkie Pie work her magic!"

A cheery musical tune appeared seemingly out of nowhere, catching Vaati off-guard. "What in Din's-?"

"Pay attention, Vaati!" Pinkie chided.

Vaati's glare intensified as Pinkie began singing to the strange tune, performing the actions as she did so.

" _All you have to do is take a cup of flour,_  
Add it to the mix!  
Now just take a little something sweet, not sour,  
A bit of salt-just a pinch!

_Baking these treats is such a cinch,_  
Add a teaspoon of vanilla.  
Add a little more, and you count to four  
And you never get your fill-a! 

_Cupcakes, so sweet and tasty,  
Cupcakes-don't be too hasty,_

_Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcaaaaakes_!"

The second she finished, the music popped out of existence. Vaati's mind completely failed to properly process the events that had just transpired, and could only stare at her with his mouth slightly hanging open. "Now it's time to—uh, Vaati? Are you okay?" Pinkie yammered, waving a hoof in front of the sorcerer's face.

Blinking, Vaati's mind reasserted itself, reacting to Pinkie's hoof-wave. "Pinkie Pie," he stated, dead-pan. "Never, ever do that in front of me again."

"Do what?"

"The singing…just…don't."

"Awwww," Pinkie griped before she immediately perked up. "Anywho, let's get the cupcakes in the oven! Oh, whoops! Forgot to turn it on, haha, silly me!"

While Pinkie was momentarily distracted, Vaati thought quickly. There was no way he was going to put up with this. But he couldn't just leave. He needed a distraction. Right before Pinkie turned her head, Vaati cast a quick spell on the batter. Pinkie didn't notice and put the batter into the cupcake tins while Vaati looked on, slowly edging towards the door. Humming a cheerful tune, Pinkie opened the oven door and stuck the cupcake tins on the rack. She promptly shut the door then started tinkering with the timer. Vaati smirked. It wouldn't be long now…

Suddenly the oven began shaking violently. "Oh, Pinkie!" Vaati cried. "There appears to be something wrong with your oven!"

Pinkie looked over at the oven and saw the commotion. "Omigosh, you're right! What in Equestria could that be?"

Without warning, the oven door flew open, and a grotesque abomination comprised of sticky batter lurched out of it, growling murderously. It took all of Vaati's willpower to put on a mask of terror and not snicker evilly. Pinkie's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she saw the monster. Then, the pink mare brought out a candy-cane battle axe seemingly out of nowhere and brandished it defiantly. "So, we meet again, Cake Creature," she snarled, causing Vaati to curiously raise an eyebrow. "I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN YOU!"

Pinkie dramatically leapt into the air and engaged the aptly-named "Cake Creature" in a battle to the death, hacking away at its doughy exterior as the monster lashed out at her. Knowing this was his chance to escape, Vaati grabbed his cap, slipped out the kitchen door, tore off the apron and hat, and took off out the door before the Cakes could see him leave. He felt no regrets about casting that particular little spell on the cake batter. Judging from the looks of it, Pinkie could probably take care of herself. All he had to do was get away, far away, and wait until Twilight forgot about the job hunt.

All those plans went out the window when Vaati crashed right into Twilight.

"Twilight! Ah, blast it all!" Vaati snarled as he untangled himself from Twilight's flailing hooves and got to his feet.

"Vaati! What are you doing out here?!" Twilight demanded, also getting to her hooves. "You're supposed to be-!"

"After an entirely-unforeseen and traumatic series of circumstances that have nothing whatsoever to do with me," Vaati quickly explained, "I have decided that working for Pinkie Pie is not an option."

Before Twilight could answer, a guttural roar intermingled with Pinkie's battle cries and crashing noises emanated from the bakery. Mr. and Mrs. Cake ran outside in a panic. "We're leaving," Vaati growled, roughly grabbing hold of Twilight and teleporting them away from the scene.

They reappeared back at the library on the second floor, having gone unnoticed by Spike. Vaati let go of Twilight as she fumed. "Would you mind telling me what the hay _that_ was about?!" she demanded.

"Let's just say Pinkie got a visit from an old friend," Vaati vaguely explained. "And I decided I had overstayed my welcome."

Twilight groaned and facehoofed. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

Vaati smirked. "You could always just give up this crazy little endeavor of yours."

Twilight glared stubbornly at him. "Absolutely not."

Vaati groaned. "That leaves us with two options now," Twilight continued. "Working at the weather center with Rainbow Dash or taking care of animals with Fluttershy."

"My cat scratches still sting," Vaati complained. "I think I'll avoid the animals as long as possible. Besides, my command over the winds and the weather is without equal. Surely I could be of use to this 'weather factory'."

Twilight beamed. "That's the spirit!"

XXXXXX

Twilight and Vaati walked up to Rainbow Dash's cloud house and looked up at the impressive structure. It was comprised completely of clouds, with Greek-styled columns and several fountains and pools of rainbow-colored fluid scattered around. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called up.

A few seconds later, Rainbow Dash poked her head over the side of the ledge and smiled, "Hey guys! What's up?"

"We're here to see if Vaati can help you with the weather," Twilight explained.

Rainbow laughed. "I don't need any help, Twilight! I can do it all myself!"

"Welp, we tried. Let's go," Vaati quickly said, turning to leave.

Twilight froze him in place with her magic. "Not so fast, mister."

Still holding him still, Twilight looked up. "Look, Rainbow. Could you please put aside your pride just this once? Vaati needs a job, and we've already tried Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't they work out?"

"Vaati blew up Applejack's plough, got mauled by Rarity's cat, and Pinkie Pie…well, I really don't know what happened there."

Rainbow Dash heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Oh, alright! Get up here and we'll talk more."

Twilight let go of Vaati and teleported up to the cloud, while Vaati morosely floated up to the top. Both ponies blinked in surprise as they saw Vaati touch down on the cloud's surface without falling through. "Whoa, you can walk on clouds too?" Rainbow asked.

"Why do you act surprised?" Vaati retorted. "You ponies do it just fine. Besides, anyone with enough magic coursing through their blood can walk on clouds in my world. Me, the Hero of Legend, the Princess…and probably even Ganon, though considering that fat pig's girth, he'd probably fall through anyway."

Rainbow Dash snorted laughter while Twilight raised a curious eyebrow. Vaati took this moment of inactivity to glance over at the rainbow fountain next to him. Pointing at it, Vaati said, "What is that?"

Rainbow looked over at the fountain. "Oh, that's my rainbow fountain. That liquid stuff is what rainbows are made of."

Looking at the liquid, Vaati suddenly realized he hadn't eaten or drank anything since morning. "Is it edible?" he asked.

Vaati didn't notice the wide grin that appeared on Rainbow's face as she explained, "Yeah, of course it is! It's got a little bit of a kick though. Why, you thirsty?"

Vaati glared at Twilight. "Well, thanks to a certain someone, I haven't eaten anything since this morning. I'd at least like something to tide me over until I can convince her to buy us lunch."

"Well go ahead. I don't mind," Rainbow answered, suppressing a snicker.

Twilight glanced suspiciously at Rainbow Dash as Vaati produced a wine glass out of thin air and dipped it in the rainbow fountain. He sniffed it a bit before downing it in one gulp.

It was a mistake he would never forget.

His eyes suddenly went as wide as dinner plates as his cheeks puffed out and his face turned red. Sweat began pouring down his face as Rainbow Dash's snickers rose in volume. Finally Vaati spat out the rainbow fluid, tongues of flame shooting out of his mouth. Only one word managed to worm its way out of Vaati's mouth.

" _HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT_!"

Rainbow started laughing hysterically as Twilight stepped back in surprise. Vaati twisted around, screaming incomprehensibly as magic engulfed his entire body. "Oh no!" Twilight gasped in realization before glaring at a still-laughing Rainbow. "Do you have any idea what you've done?!"

Rainbow looked up, her laughter instantly dying when she saw Vaati. "W-what's he doing?!" she cried, panicking.

"He's losing control of his powers!" Twilight screamed. " _Take cover_!"

The two mares instantly bolted, trying to get as far away from the unstable mage as they could without falling off the cloud. It wasn't enough.

An explosion, followed by an intense gust of wind, destroyed the entire house, knocking them both off the cloud and onto the hard ground. As globs of rainbow fluid splashed all around Rainbow Dash took in the damage with an expression of utter horror. "My…my house…"

Her house was wrecked. Half of it was completely gone, and other parts were covered with scorch marks. Vaati was nowhere to be found. For a split-second, Twilight feared the worst; that the explosion had killed him. "Vaati! VAATI!" Twilight panicked, looking around. "Vaati, where are you?!"

Rainbow Dash just sat numbly on the ground, staring at the ruined structure. "My…house," she mumbled.

Twilight fled the scene, calling out Vaati's name desperately as she ran towards the main part of town. "VAATI! VAA-!"

Finally she found the mage dipping his head into the creek, guzzling down the stream water. The mage's clothes were blackened and torn in some places, and his hair was frazzled. He was making quite the scene, as some of the townsponies had gathered to watch him in confusion. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and trotted up to him. "Vaati, are you alright?"

Vaati swallowed and whipped his head around. Twilight immediately yelped and jumped back in shock and sudden fear.

Vaati's face was contorted into the most terrifying glare she had ever seen. His pupils were now slit like a cat's, and his canines had sharpened considerably. The crowd all gasped in shock and backed away. "Do I look alright to you?!" Vaati roared, his voice booming across the whole town. "The next time I see that accursed Pegasus, I am going to FORCEFEED HER _EVERY SINGLE DROP OF RAINBOW FLUID IN HER HOUSE_!"

Twilight's blood ran cold at the sorcerer's malicious expression, averting his gaze. It reminded her of…oh she shuddered just to think about it…

_Nightmare Moon_.

"No more _job-searching_ for today," Vaati growled, Twilight flinching at his biting tone.

"No…" she sighed in defeat. "We're done."

No more words were exchanged as the pair walked home. The townsponies warily returned to their everyday activities, careful to steer clear of Vaati's path. By the time they reached the library, it seemed Vaati had calmed down some, as his eyes had returned to normal and his fangs had gone.

They said nothing to each other for the rest of the night, and eventually went to bed to continue stewing their emotions in their dreams.

XXXXXX

_"Hey, freak show! Whatcha doin'?"_

_Vaati looked up and regarded the group of older Minish standing over him with disdain. "Reading," he answered gruffly. "Something your puny minds fail to comprehend."_

_The oldest boy, obviously the leader, clicked his tongue. "Smart mouth as always, huh freak show?"_

_"Smarter than yours, at least," Vaati snidely quipped. "Now, if you don't mind, I was just getting to the part about Demise's fall, so if you would kindly go away, and take the stench of your stupidity with you, that would be fan-!"_

_WHACK!_

_Vaati suddenly found himself lying on the ground, stars obscuring his vision. His cheek stung from where the bully had punched him. "Heh heh, nice one, Chip!" one of the other bullies congratulated._

_Vaati shook his head and got to his feet, rubbing his throbbing cheek. Chip sneered at him, crossing his arms. "So, ya ready to apologize for dissing me and my boys yet, freak show?"_

_Vaati snorted. "For what, pointing out the fact that you're all denser than a retarded Moblin?"_

_"You're one to talk, since either your mommy or daddy was a monster!" Chip snapped._

_Vaati gritted his teeth and clenched his tiny fists. "You don't know that."_

_"Oh yeah? Then why else do ya look like a freak?! Look at you! Your skin's a funny color, your hair's purple, and your eyes are red, for Din's sake! No way could that've come from two Minish parents!"_

_"Shut up," Vaati growled._

_"Oh what? Is the widdle-biddy monster gonna cry? Boo-hoo-hoo! You know why you're an orphan, freak show? I bet it's because your daddy ate your mom after you were born!"_

_The three bullies were laughing their heads off as Vaati glared murderously at them, magical sparks flashing from his hands. "S-SHUT UP!" Vaati screamed._

_Without thinking, the child yelled angrily and thrust his hands forward, sending a small bolt of energy right at Chip. The teenage Minish yelped and brought his arm up to his face to shield himself as the blast connected with his skin. However, there was not much energy in the blow, so the only injury Chip received was a burned elbow. Chip looked at the burn on his arm before glaring menacingly at Vaati. "You little RUNT!" he roared. "Get 'im, boys!"_

_Vaati turned to run, but the bullies easily caught up with him and knocked him to the ground. The two goons held Vaati's arms and legs down while Chip got on top of him and started punching him in the face and stomach, the evil bully showing absolutely no mercy. Vaati screamed in pain and sobbed in fear as the beating progressed. Vaati's choice of reading spot was his downfall; very few people went there, and Vaati's cries were drowned by the hubbub of the town activities. So no one came to his aid. Nobody ever did._

_It seemed to last forever until Chip finally got tired of abusing the poor child and got up. "Giles, Tiku! Let 'im go. We're outta here."_

_The two goons released Vaati's limbs and flanked their boss on both sides. Before they left, Chip looked over his shoulder and sneered. "I knew you were a monster, freak show! No one's ever gonna love you!"_

_The boys laughed as they departed, leaving the young orphan broken and bleeding in the alley._

XXXXXX

Twilight's ears pricked as they picked up a strange noise. The unicorn blearily opened her eyes and groaned quietly. She stole a glance out her bedroom window and saw Luna's moon shining brightly in the sky. As she began to take note of her surroundings, her brain finally managed to register what she was hearing, and immediately jolted her fully awake.

_Weeping_.

Twilight glanced at Spike, but noticed that the only noise the baby dragon was making was his usual snores. That only left…

"No. No way," Twilight quietly assured herself. "He's too…"

Then she stopped to listen. It was coming from Vaati's bed. Silently, the unicorn pushed aside her covers and trotted up to Vaati's bedside.

The mage's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and a muffled sob escaped his throat as tears streamed from his eyes and stained his pillow. Twilight's jaw dropped slightly, but her shock was soon replaced by concern. It was obvious he was having a bad dream, but what could be so bad that it could make the unflappable, arrogant Vaati the Wind Mage cry like a young child?

In the end, it didn't matter. As scary and unpleasant the sorcerer was, he was emotionally distressed and he needed help. Twilight snuck onto the bed and snuggled up close to Vaati, her horn softly glowing as she cast a soothing spell to calm him down. "Shh, it's alright," she gently whispered. "Everything's going to be alright. Shh…"

His sobbing slowly descended into small hiccupping before the mage was silent once more. Knowing he needed someone's comfort, slept with him for the rest of the night.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, the Princess of the Night awoke once again, tears streaming from her eyes. Celestia quickly awoke as she heard her sister's crying. "Luna, dear, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I bore witness to the sorcerer's dreams once again, dear sister," Luna whispered, going over the awful events in her head. "I…I saw one of his childhood memories. Tia, what he has suffered…'tis unbearable! His kind are so brutal! T-they tormented him, beat h-h-him, called him a monster…He…he was orphaned as a child…"

Celestia held back her tears in order to stay strong for Luna. Pity welled up in her heart for the distant sorcerer, but her first concern was Luna's well-being. Still, this was some form of progress. Vaati's dreams were inadvertently telling the princesses more and more about the secretive mage, and the more they knew, the better chance they had of finding a way to help him face his demons, or…if worse came to worse…

No. Celestia didn't even want to consider that this time. It was still too soon to judge. Still, her thoughts wandered to the castle gardens. To the statue. To _him_. Was _he_ any different?

XXXXXX

_The next morning_ …

Vaati slowly opened his eyes and grumbled sleepily. He then noticed that something was bundled up next him, keeping him warm and strangely comfortable. Vaati blearily glanced over his shoulder to see Twilight curled up against his back, still fast asleep. The mage blinked in confusion, but he was still too groggy to form coherent words. Why in Majora's name was Twilight curled up next to him like a housecat?

And more importantly, why did this put him slightly at ease?

It surprised him how difficult it was to regain his grouchy, bitter composure. Grumbling some more, the mage slid out of bed, careful not to disturb her. He wasn't ready to put up with her nagging quite yet. Spike was still asleep too, the young dragon snuggled in his bed and snoring like a lumberjack. Quietly, Vaati cast a quick spell on himself to clean his clothes and make him smell fresh. He was hundreds of years old, but one thing was certain; he never outgrew his hatred of baths.

Rubbing his eyes, the sorcerer sighed. His dream last night was the most unpleasant he had had in a long time. How he hated the memories of his youth. Though it was ironic that those events were instrumental in shaping him into who he was now. But what was he? The greater irony was that he more or less proved Chip's point. He was a monster, hated and feared by everyone. No one ever truly cared for him, not even the sage, Ezlo, who took him in, promising him tutelage and only giving him chores. Even the ponies of this world, as friendship-happy and cheerful as they were, were growing increasingly uneasy around him. Did he revel in that fear? Not too long ago, he would have quickly answered 'yes' without a second thought, and be firmly convinced of that belief. Now…

Now he wasn't so sure.

Vaati descended the staircase and sat down the kitchen table, placing his face in his hands. Just what was this world doing to him? He was being wracked by uncertainty and self-doubt, two things he hated with a passion.

He was used to being reviled. Kindness was a totally alien concept to him. Even as he desired friendship and family, he pushed potential friends away because of his fear of getting close. The fear of his world, horrible as it was, changing. A deep sadness welled up in his icy heart, one which had hung over his head every single day of his life until the cap had become his, and he obtained the ultimate power.

He couldn't think straight. His mind kept revisiting those awful memories, and a voice he had ignored for far too long whispered in his ear; the voice of his deep-rooted self-loathing. _Monster…You're a monster…No one's ever gonna love you_!

"I don't care," he whispered, trying to block out the voice. "I don't care. I don't care. I don't…"

He _did_ care.

It had never changed. He had only pretended it had.

A choking noise involuntarily escaped his throat. His eyes stung and felt wet. It took a moment for Vaati to understand what was happening.

He was crying.

The sorcerer buried his face in his hands and quietly sobbed. Unbeknownst to him, it did not go unnoticed. Twilight awoke and immediately noticed the bed was empty, meaning Vaati had gotten up. As she reached the stairs, she looked down and saw Vaati sitting at the table, silently crying his eyes out. The sight tugged at her heartstrings, and she slowly descended the staircase. Vaati didn't seem to hear her, so she quietly entered the kitchen and set to work.

Several minutes later, Vaati's sobs had lowered to mere sniffles. Suddenly he heard the clatter of a tray being set down in front of him. He lifted his head and saw a truly delicious-looking breakfast set out in front of him. A large slice of hot apple pie, one of Pinkie Pie's famous cupcakes, a freshly-peeled orange, and a large glass of ice-cold milk awaited him. Standing next to it was Twilight, a comforting smile on her face.

The two of them just stared at each other for the longest time. No words were needed. The shy smile on Vaati's face said it all.

After finishing off breakfast, Twilight levitated the dirty dishes into the kitchen and began cleaning them in the sink. Vaati sat at the table for the longest time, contemplating. He felt so strange. He couldn't find a reason to maintain his cynical and mean-spirited disposition. Not around her, anyways. She had showed him kindness. When he needed it most, she had been there for him.

Twilight trotted out of the kitchen, finished with the dishes. But before she could speak, Vaati interrupted her. "Twilight?"

"Yes, Vaati?" she asked, her smile never leaving her face.

"…Thank you."

Twilight's eyes sparkled with joy as she hugged the flustered sorcerer. "Alright, alright, get off, get off," Vaati huffed, prying Twilight off of him.

Something else was needling him in his head. He had a nagging feeling he had to do something. He had to make it up to her for her kindness. "Twilight…you don't suppose Fluttershy is still willing to hire me, do you?"

She gasped in surprise before grinning widely. "You still wanna job search?!"

Vaati flinched slightly. "Don't make a big deal out of it please."

Twilight managed to compose herself. "Sorry. Shall we go, then?"

The mage stood up and straightened out his cape. "One more thing, Twilight," he said. "Keep what happened just between us, okay? Or else I'll dropkick you into the river in front of the entire town."

Twilight chuckled. "Now there's the Vaati I know and love."

Twilight giggled at the slight blush that broke out on Vaati's face before turning towards the door. The two of them walked outside and greeted Celestia's beautiful morning before heading towards the Everfree Forest, where Fluttershy's cottage sat on the edge of town. As they approached, they noticed Fluttershy sprinkling bird seed out for her chickens while her pet rabbit, Angel, looked on as he lazily munched on a carrot.

Noticing the two visitors, Angel hopped over to Fluttershy and tapped her on the shoulder while pointing towards them. Fluttershy looked up where Angel was pointing and saw them. "Oh, hello Twilight," she greeted, shrinking back nervously as she regarded the intimidating sorcerer towering over her. "Um…h-hello, V-V-Vaati."

"Hey Fluttershy," Twilight responded, smiling. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, um, just fine," Fluttershy answered in her usual timid voice.

"We're here for the job offer you had for Vaati," Twilight explained.

"Oh!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "I-I'm sorry, i-it must have slipped my mind."

"Do you think I'd be a good fit?" Vaati asked, trying to sound polite so as to not scare her as much.

"Um…I-I don't know…Taking care of animals is a huge responsibility."

_Hmph_.

Vaati blinked and looked behind him to see Angel crossing his paws, glaring at him. _Yeah, that's right. Look at me. Look at the cute little bunny rabbit. You're a creep, you know that? Stay away from Fluttershy if you know what's good for you_.

Vaati glared back at the rabbit. "You would do well to keep that to yourself, rabbit."

Angel recoiled in shock as Fluttershy and Twilight gasped. _Oh crud! You can hear me_! Angel yelped.

"Darn right I can hear you, cotton wad!" Vaati snapped.

"Vaati…you…" Twilight stuttered.

"Y-you can t-talk to animals?" Fluttershy finished, awestruck.

Vaati smirked, chuckling in amusement. "Good Goddesses, I actually almost forgot. As a Minish, I have the ability to communicate with animals. It's not unusual for my kind to hold conversations with dogs, lizards, even the occasional cat or chicken."

Fluttershy's face broke out into the most ecstatic grin Vaati had ever seen. "Oh, you could be so much help, Vaati!" she chirped, her excitement overriding her shyness. "You can keep animals calm when I fix them up, and feed them, and…oh, I'm so excited I could just scream!"

The Pegasus then squealed very quietly, failing at said scream. Vaati raised an eyebrow. "So does this mean I'm hired?"

Fluttershy managed to calm down and nodded her head. "Yes. Come to my cottage tomorrow at 6:30, bright and early."

Twilight danced in place. "You did it, Vaati! You got a job!"

Vaati grinned. "Heh. Suppose I did, huh?"

"VAATI!" a familiar voice suddenly cried.

All eyes turned to see Applejack standing a short distance away, looking quite angry. "Finally Ah found you, ya varmint!"

Vaati blinked in confusion. "What is it, Applejack?"

"You blew up our only plough! And a new one's gonna cost us a mighty bunch'a bits! Bits that were _supposed_ to be for fixin' our old barn!"

"Well what do you expect _me_ to do about it?"

A savage grin creased the farmpony's face. " _Hold still_."

Applejack then charged right at the sorcerer, his eyes widening in shock and terror. "Time for me to take my leave!" he yelped before bolting, Applejack pursuing him relentlessly around the cottage.

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. Despite the previous trials, things were definitely looking up.

XXXXXX

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I write to you at Twilight's behest, as she felt this was something you should know about. I, of all people, have learned a valuable lesson in friendship today. Strange, though. For the longest time, I was without friends, and for the longest time I convinced myself I didn't need any. Twilight has proven to me otherwise. I learned that pushing others away for the sole purpose of retaining my miserable existence out of fear of change is an unwise course of action. I discovered that friendship is not something to be laughed at or hated, but embraced. My only regret is that it took me two-hundred and seventy four years to learn that._

_I grew up without kindness, and it made me a bitter person. But Twilight has shown me what it is like to have friends, to know someone who cares. I think I'm going to enjoy my retirement after all._

_Sincerely,_

_Vaati Picoru, Sorcerer of Winds_

_P.S.—I got a job._


	5. Episode 5: Return of the Palace

### Episode Five: Return of the Palace

"I swear to the Golden Goddesses, if you do not eat this carrot, Angel, I'll force it down your bloody _throat_!" Vaati growled angrily at the offending white rabbit, pushing a half-eaten carrot into Angel's chest.

"Um...Vaati, that's n-not how you talk to the animals," Fluttershy timidly interrupted. "I-if you don't mind, that is."

Vaati sharply sucked in his breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. Smiling as kindly as he could, (which looked more like the grin of a serial killer about to strike) he held the carrot out to Angel. "Oh, Angel Bunny," he said with forced calm. "Would you be a dear and eat the rest of this carrot?"

The rabbit crossed his arms and glared stubbornly at the sorcerer, squeaking out a few choice words in his animal language. Vaati's eyes bugged out in shock and fury. "Shove it _where_?!" he hissed.

Angel smirked arrogantly. _You heard me_.

Sensing Vaati was about to blow his lid, Fluttershy reached out to put a tentative hoof on his shoulder. "Um, Vaati..."

"YOU'RE STEW, RODENT!" Vaati roared, lunging at Angel as Fluttershy jumped back with a terrified yelp.

The bunny squeaked in surprise and hopped out of Vaati's reach. Vaati scrambled to his feet and chased after Angel, completely ignoring Fluttershy's quiet cries of protest. The rabbit scurried to safety beneath Fluttershy's cottage. Vaati stared at the hole through which Angel had escaped with a look of unfathomable hatred. "I'll get you for this, rabbit," he growled, his fists shaking at his sides.

Fluttershy slowly trotted up to him. "M-maybe you should take the day off, Vaati," she shyly suggested. "If that's okay with you."

Vaati gritted his teeth for a moment before sighing in defeat and slumping his shoulders. "Yes...you're probably right. Alright then, Fluttershy, same time tomorrow?"

Fluttershy nodded.

"I'll see you then," Vaati said, heading back towards Ponyville.

The sorcerer soon reached the town, striding through the streets as he reflected on how much he hated that rabbit. He ignored the stares sent his way by the townsponies, particularly a mint-green unicorn mare's fascinated, somewhat-longing stare. He had long ago become used to the attention.

XXXXXX

The skies above Equestria were bright and clear. No clouds hung in the sky, birds twittered cheerfully as they flew through the soft blue background. Nothing could possibly spoil this fine day.

Famous last words.

It started with just a ripple. Barely noticeable, a slight shimmering in the air that could only be seen through the corner of one's eye. But then the anomaly started to grow in size and intensity. A low rumbling sound was heard. The birds scattered as a particular point of the sky began to ripple. It was hard to describe, but it seemed as though the very fringes of reality were starting to bend at this very point.

A crack of some kind tore through the sky as if it were a giant sheet of blue paper, a strange white light pouring out of the tear in reality. The rip in dimensions widened and the wind began to whip. Something was coming.

The rippling energy began to resonate through the land as something slowly began to edge its way out of the dimensional rift. Not force, as this object did not appear to be a living thing. No, it was no monster or extra-dimensional devourer of worlds or trouble-magnet Time Lord's technowizardry.

It was a massive, floating palace that looked like nothing that could be found in Equestria.

XXXXXX

Not very many could feel the mysterious energy that echoed across the land. Few were attuned to such subtle magicks, but that is not to say that the rip in time and space did not go unnoticed. In the throne room of Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia, just as she was sipping her tea, felt it. A slight tugging in the back of her mind, a jarring realization that _something_ had come here, to her land. The shock of the experience caused her to drop her teacup with a sharp gasp, the glass shattering and tea spilling onto the floor.

The nearby guards looked to her in concern. "Princess Celestia!" one of them spoke. "Are you alright?"

Recovering, Celestia held up a hoof. "Yes, I'm fine. I just…need to write a letter. And do get somepony to clean up this mess, please."

The guard bowed. "Right away, Your Majesty."

Celestia summoned a quill and parchment out of nowhere and began writing.

_My Faithful Student, Twilight,_

_I know it's unusual that I am writing to you on such short notice, but I believe something has occurred here in Equestria. I don't how or why, but I feel that something has come into Equestria. I will need your help in finding out what it is. Actually, not just you. I believe we will need Vaati for this as well. What I felt was somewhat similar to what I felt when he first came to Equestria. I will be joining you all shortly so we can all investigate this strange phenomenon together. Please don't have a panic attack before I get there._

_Signed,_

_Princess Celestia_

Sighing, Celestia sent the letter off to Ponyville. She then looked down at her guards and said, "Wake Luna. I'm going out for a short while, and I need her to look after political matters while I'm away."

"Understood, Your Majesty," one replied, bowing. "I'll ready an escort at once."

"No, that's quite alright. I wish to go alone."

The guard spluttered. "B-b-but Princess! You must have an escort to watch over you!"

"I already have an escort for where I'm going, Falling Skies. Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Uh...who, Your Majesty?"

"My student Twilight Sparkle and the Wind Mage Vaati."

"Uh...are you sure it is wise to trust Vaati, Princess?"

"The matter involves him. As to whether I trust him...I cannot say. I can tell he has a past shrouded in mystery, and what little Luna has decided to divulge to me does not paint a pretty picture of what he once was. Nevertheless, he has not caused any serious trouble in the time he has been here, so I am confident his claims of retirement were sincere."

"If...if you say so, Princess," Falling Skies relented.

"Good. Now be a dear and ready my chariot. And if, on the off-chance I do not return before Luna awakens, tell her she can lower the sun in my place. I'm sure she can do it."

XXXXXX

Unbeknownst to Princess Celestia, Vaati had felt it too. The sorcerer had been grumbling to himself in the library while Twilight was studying and Spike cleaning when he had suddenly gasped, gripped his chest, and leaned against a book case to keep himself from falling over. Seeing this, Twilight shot out of her chair and ran to the winded sorcerer's side. "Vaati! Are you alright?!"

"Whoa, Vaati! What's wrong?" Spike also asked.

Vaati panted heavily for a few moments, his eyes bugged out. What he felt was so familiar. _Too_ familiar. "I...I felt...a disturbance of some kind," he explained between breaths. "It felt...familiar."

"What, you mean like a disturbance in the force?" Spike inquired.

Vaati shot him a look. "No, you idiot. It felt like...like it..."

Vaati looked up, his eyes wide with shock and realization. "...like _it_ was calling to me."

"'It'?" Twilight repeated in confusion.

Before Vaati could elaborate, Spike suddenly belched, exhaling a green flame surrounded by ashes. The ashes then condensed into a letter bearing the Royal Seal. "Oh! Princess Celestia sent a letter!" Twilight exclaimed, enveloping it with her magic.

"How convenient," Vaati commented dryly as he straightened up.

Twilight broke the seal and opened the letter, reading it aloud. When she was done, a look of confusion and horror spread across her face. "The P-P-Princess is coming here?!"

"Oh, cripes, not this again," Spike moaned.

"Twilight, she specifically ordered you not to have a panic attack," Vaati chided, folding his arms. "What I'm interested in, though, is how she felt it too."

"Felt what, exactly?" Twilight asked.

"It would probably be better to explain when Celestia gets here," Vaati answered.

" _Princess_ Celestia," Twilight corrected irritably.

"I don't care."

"Has anypony ever told you how aggravating you are?"

"Yes. They were usually trying to kill me while they were saying it, so I never really bothered to pay attention."

Yet again, awkward silence followed. "Uh...maybe we should wait for Princess Celestia outside," Spike suggested, hoping to dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Excellent idea, Spike," Vaati commended a little too quickly as he strode outside, forgetting to duck his head and bumping it on the rather short doorframe. "GAH! Bloody accursed Majora-da-!"

"Vaati, there are foals present!" Twilight exclaimed sternly, indicating Spike.

Rubbing his sore head, Vaati just grumbled incoherently to himself as he stepped outside. Twilight and Spike followed him out and stood outside the library, waiting for Celestia's arrival. A few minutes passed before Vaati's sharp eyes caught sight of a distant chariot making its way towards Ponyville. "Look alive, she's coming," Vaati warned, Twilight reflexively beginning to fret.

Vaati patiently waited as the chariot descended into the town and came to a rest in front of them, the pegasus guards whinnying their arrival. Princess Celestia herself stepped off the chariot and looked at the guards. "You're dismissed, gentlecolts."

Clearly reluctant, the guards nodded and flew off back towards Canterlot as Celestia calmly trotted up to her waiting hosts. "Princess Celestia, I'm so glad to see you again!" Twilight said, hugging her mentor.

"And how wonderful to see you as well, my faithful student," Celestia answered, returning the hug. "And you as well, Spike."

Releasing Twilight, Celestia looked upon the sorcerer, his arms crossed as he nodded. "Princess," he greeted.

"It is good to see you too, Wind Mage Vaati," Celestia spoke, smiling softly, not minding the fact that Vaati would not bow to her. "I trust your lessons in friendship are working out well?"

"Better than I expected," Vaati answered nonchalantly. "I cannot deny that once upon a time, I desired a friend more than anything. Several of Twilight's friends still annoy me to the brink of insanity, though." At this, Twilight glared at him. "But I've learned to live with it. But we all know you're not here for a chat. You felt it too. The disturbance."

Celestia nodded. "I did. I take it you felt it as well?"

"Yes. And I believe I know what caused it...but the idea of it just sounds so far-fetched, and yet...it makes sense in the end."

His audience all blinked in surprise. "You know what it is?" Celestia asked.

Vaati sighed and turned away from Celestia, staring ahead at nothing in particular as he divulged more of his carefully-guarded past. "A long time ago, when I first started...causing trouble, I stumbled across an ancient temple above the clouds in the midst of my travels. An old floating castle of sorts once used by the Wind Tribe as their place of worship. It was known as the Palace of Winds."

Celestia, Twilight, and Spike silently watched the sorcerer, rapt with attention. "My first time around, I didn't get much of a chance to investigate it in detail, but during my second time, I immediately made it my base of operations, as the Wind Tribe had permanently abandoned it. It...well, it went from a base of operations to...a real home, actually. I had Wizzrobes discreetly...uh, 'collect' books and build a library, and I even set aside a room of the palace as my bedchamber. Though I never really considered the monsters that I summoned to guard the place pleasurable company, I still made it feel like home.

"The strangest thing was, and I didn't notice this at first, but there was some ancient magic running through the very foundations of the palace. This magic was responsible for keeping the palace aloft, but it had an unusual side-effect, of sorts. The palace's magic resonated with my own and...the only way I can really explain it is that the palace _itself_ bonded with me. I became its true master. Thus, each time I was freed, I could immediately sense the Palace of Winds calling to me, and I would go to it. It even moved itself towards me upon my approach. It was rather...flattering, actually, for the very home I lived in to hold a sense of loyalty to me. It would make sense that it would follow me here."

Everyone was silent in awe. Finally, Twilight broke the silence. "So...the Palace of Winds...is sentient?"

"And it has come here to Equestria?" Celestia questioned.

Vaati nodded. "I assume so. I need to find it."

"Vaati, we should all look for it!" Twilight suggested.

Vaati looked down at her. "Why do you insist on coming?"

The sparkly look in her eyes told him everything. "Oh...right. The library."

"I wish to see this palace for myself, if you don't mind," Celestia added with a smile.

Vaati just stared at them. "...really?"

"Can I come too?" Spike interjected.

"Spike, I need you to stay here and look after the library while we're gone, okay?" Twilight answered.

Spike slumped his shoulders in defeat, though admittedly, he had expected that answer. "Oh, rats."

"Really, Spike. You felt the need to ask?" Vaati smugly quipped.

"We should leave as soon as we can," Celestia suggested. "I hope to find this palace before Luna is due to bring about the night."

"I agree," Vaati answered. "We travel light."

XXXXXX

 _A few hours later_...

If one were to look upwards at this moment, they would witness a most peculiar sight: Princess Celestia flying through the air with a purple unicorn on her back and a strangely-dressed ape-like creature floating alongside them. As the three of them flew across the sky, Twilight turned towards Vaati and asked, "So how big is the Palace?"

Vaati thought for a moment. "About half the size of Canterlot, and just as tall, if I recall correctly."

"One thing you said before concerns me," Celestia spoke, staring ahead. "You said you had monsters guarding the Palace during your stay. Why?"

Vaati sighed. "Because it's hard to be a lord without any minions."

Celestia opened her mouth to speak further, but Twilight interrupted her. "What kind of monsters? What were they like? Are there any there now?"

"Ugh, one thing at a time, woman," Vaati complained. "In the world I am from, there are a vast array of monsters that can be summoned. Before King Demise cursed them shortly after Majora's fall, they were normal, if primitive and bestial, races just like Hylians, Gorons, and Zoras. But due to their aid in defeating the God of Evil during the first great war of Hyrule, his son Demise cast a horrible spell that eternally doomed them to the Dark World and enslaved them to the dark powers. That was how they originally came to be the servants of evil.

"Most practitioners of dark magic know the spell to summon different monsters, including other monsters. Most of them were high-ranking demon lords and noblemen either looking out for their own self-interest or attempting to resurrect Demise's reincarnation, Ganondorf. Such dark magic is also capable of enslaving predatory animals as well as raising the dead. There are very few things demon magic cannot do, save healing one's self. That is light magic. Being that I am not a fully-demonic being and am empowered by an artifact containing light magic, I am capable of using both light and dark magic. But I find myself straying off-topic.

"There are a wide assortment of monsters one can summon. The most well-known and infamous examples are the Moblins. Tall, strong pig warriors who walked upright like men. Normally dumb as a post and brutally thuggish, but they make good warriors. It was obvious why they were Ganondorf's preferred minions.

"Then there are the Wizzrobes, sorcerers who gave their souls to darkness to achieve absolute control over a single element of nature. There were Warrior Wizzrobes, who chose to specialize in offensive, non-elemental magic; Fire Wizzrobes, who exercised a great deal of control over the element of fire; Ice Wizzrobes, who could do the same with ice; and Summoner Wizzrobes, who chose to use other summoned monsters to do their dirty work, including other Wizzrobes. Most of them were rather like you, Twilight. They spent far too much time reading spellbooks in my library during lulls in action, and they usually kept to themselves.

"My best underlings were the Darknuts. They're quite similar to Diamond Dogs in appearance, but for one are a lot smarter than those gem-obsessed thugs. They are heavily armored and are very skilled in combat. They're master duelists. Even the Hero of Legend, skilled as he was, always had trouble with Darknuts. They make excellent guards, as they take the warrior code very seriously and are not easily distracted. Their whole culture is based around honor and combat, and that made them rather introverted. They rarely spoke, even off-duty, and they almost never associated with the other monsters. Before the curse, their relationships with the other monster races were lukewarm at best.

"Keatons, the distant cousins of the Darknuts, are thieves, plain and simple. Even when summoned, they are less likely to follow your orders unless doing so has money involved. They're quite agile and clever, but their greed sometimes clouds their judgment, and they're terrible in a direct fight. As such, I didn't summon them very often.

"Then there are the creatures that don't belong to a particular race. They are simply the revived corpses of fallen warriors given will by dark magic. The Stalkin are all the skeletal bodies of various fallen warrior races. Stalfos are humanoid skeletons that walk upright like me. The Stalchildren are the resurrected bones of smaller races. Stalwolves are, well, wolf skeletons. Very large skeletal monsters are commonly referred to as Stallords. Stalkin usually retain some personality traits of who they were in life, but by lacking a brain, their intelligence takes a nosedive. I didn't summon them in large quantities, but Ganon did. Then there are the ReDeads, or what you might know as zombies. They scream in order to paralyze you long enough to get close to you. And then, they jump on you, and if you can't shake them, they suck out every drop of your blood."

At this, Twilight looked like she might be sick. Celestia looked equally disturbed by the description.

"Naturally, as I didn't find the prospect of bloated, smelly, fly-ridden, blood-sucking corpses shambling around my home during the night very appealing, I did not summon them myself. Mind you, they can be reanimated by lingering dark energies alone, so a demonic being's presence is sometimes all it takes for various corpses to rise from their graves. Another specimen of reanimated creatures are Floormasters and Wallmasters. Virtually indistinguishable from each other by appearance alone, these two creatures are reanimated disembodied hands that have been given a growth spurt by the magic used to create them. Floormasters crawl along the floor on their fingers and try to claw at and ram intruders. Wallmasters are more benign, but I can never get over how deliciously aggravating they are to intruders. They lie in wait on the ceilings of certain rooms for an intruder to pass under them. If one does not see them coming, they grab the unfortunate victim and drag him all the way back to the entrance of my palace. They're a useful delaying tactic, but it is unfortunate that they do not actually harm their victims. The last example of undead minions is Poes, ghosts who are driven by hatred of the living. They carry lanterns containing flames of darkness, which they use to swipe at intruders and enemies.

"And that, I believe, covers most of the basic monster types," Vaati finished. "As for whether or not any are still there…I doubt it. If there are any monsters left over, the Hero usually wipes them out before leaving the Palace after he defeats me."

Silence followed as Twilight and Celestia processed this information. Most of these monsters sounded scary and unpleasant to be around, but a morbidly curious part of Twilight could not help but hope she could meet some of these strange creatures.

And then Vaati abruptly stopped and looked directly ahead, causing Celestia to halt as well. "There it is," he spoke, awed. "It's here. It's actually here."

Celestia and Twilight looked directly ahead and witnessed a phenomenal sight. Sitting atop a blanket of clouds was a truly magnificent palace. Its grandeur could almost rival Canterlot's. The architecture spoke of an ancient, long-forgotten culture whose craftsmanship was the envy of many. Great spires reached into the sky, topped with violet pointed roofs. Numerous windows of the palace were adorned with stained glass depicting a strange eye looking upwards. Parts of its infrastructure held a church-like quality to it.

"Whoa," Twilight breathed, awestruck at the sight.

"This…this is an impressive structure," Celestia added, breath-taken as well. "Wrought of stone, and yet it sits atop the clouds as though it weighs nothing…I've never seen this kind of magic before. It's…amazing!"

Vaati smirked despite himself. "Well, well. Even the great Princess Celestia is impressed. I'd say that's an achievement in and of itself. Shall we?"

His two escorts nodded dumbly, still transfixed by the magnificent Palace of Winds as they began flying towards it. A few minutes later, they touched down on the soft clouds right outside the main entrance. The four devices that had maintained the barrier blocking access to the Palace were still there, though they were no longer functional thanks to a certain meddling hero. No matter; that just meant Vaati didn't have to deactivate them. "Welcome, my esteemed guests, to the Palace of Winds," Vaati grandly announced, flourishing his hand towards the entrance.

The three of them entered the Palace and took in the sights. The main hall was a grand sight to behold, with rows of stained-glass windows pouring colored light into the room. The hall branched off in several directions, leading to other areas. Celestia and Twilight gazed in wonder upon the sight. Vaati, however, immediately felt something was wrong. He scrutinized the scene before him, and soon realized something.

The halls were barren. The tapestries, the suits of armor, all gone. Vaati's eye twitched as his anger grew. _Someone had ransacked his palace_. The thought alone made the Wind Mage's blood boil. Noticing the sorcerer's furious expression, Twilight asked, "Uh, Vaati? You okay there?"

Vaati gritted his teeth in response. " _Someone_ was here before us. Someone took all the tapestries and suits of armor I had set up along the hallways. My palace…has been robbed!"

"Hey! What're you freaks doin' in our hideout?!" a teenaged voice demanded arrogantly.

The three of them whipped around to see a pair of reptilian creatures glaring at them. One had black scales, horns that curved like a ram's, a lean build, and a pair of grey-webbed wings folded at his back. The other was of stocky build, with green scales, diseased-looking horns pointing straight back behind his head, and a pair of smaller wings that looked like they wouldn't be able to hold him aloft during flight.

Vaati ground his teeth in rage as he realized the identity of the intruders. " _Dragons_."

XXXX-DRAMATIC COMMERCIAL BREAK-XXXX

"Yo, chump!" the black dragon snapped at Vaati. "I said, what're you doin' in our hideout?!"

"Your hideout?!" Vaati snarled angrily. "Excuse me, you big dumb lizard, but this is MY palace!"

The green dragon chuckled. "I don't see your name on it."

Vaati irritably gestured towards the stained-glass windows. "In case you didn't know, that is my emblem! I am the Wind Mage Vaati, _and you are in MY PALACE_!"

"Listen, loser!" the black dragon sneered. "We were here first, so you and your prissy little pony friends bug off!"

"Hey!" Twilight complained, offended.

"Now let's everyone just calm down for a moment," Celestia bade, stepping forward. "I am Princess Celestia. Surely you know of me?"

"Yeah, big whoop," the black teenage dragon scoffed. "Yeah, I know who you are. Well guess what? Both our fathers're Dragon Lords. I'm Char, son of Moragon the Black!"

"And I'm Plague, son of Pestilence the Vile!" the green dragon boasted.

"That explains your stench," Vaati commented rudely.

"Vaati, enough," Celestia calmly reprimanded before turning towards the two teenage dragons. "Now, Char and Plague, I understand that each dragon sets out at your age to secure a hoard and home for themselves, but this palace actually does belong to Vaati here, so we would all appreciate it if you let him have it back."

Char folded his arms. "Sorry, Sparkles, but we ain't goin' nowhere. This is _our_ place now."

"Would you like it to serve as your _graves_ , you infantile wretches?!" Vaati growled.

Ignoring the fuming sorcerer, Celestia said, "I ask that you reconsider. I really would prefer not to force you out of here and let you leave of your own free will."

"You won't dare," Char answered smugly. "You know why? Because you don't wanna tick off two Dragon Lords who both have considerable influence in the high council and could easily convince the whole dragon nation to declare war on Equestria for threatening us."

Twilight's jaw dropped. "You'd start a _war_ over this place?! Innocent ponies would be killed just so you can keep the palace all to yourselves…that's…that just…rrgh! How can you be so bucking _selfish_?!"

"Twilight, language," Celestia warned, trying to maintain her patience.

Char was right, though. This was a very precarious situation they now were all in. Dragon politics were very difficult for Equestrians to deal with, and dragons would not hesitate to invade any country they felt had slighted or threatened them. Though Celestia knew she and her sister could likely defeat them, it would not be before a significant portion of Equestria was burning around them.

"Alright. Fine. You can have it," Vaati spoke.

Twilight and Celestia both looked at the glaring mage in surprise. "If you feel like this place is worth a whole war over, then you can keep it," Vaati explained. Suddenly, though, the sorcerer grinned savagely. "Although, I will have to warn you. You may not like what happens after nightfall."

He glanced at his two companions. "Alright, let's go."

Without another word, Vaati strode out the door, Celestia and Twilight in tow. "I don't understand," Twilight said. "You're just giving up?"

Vaati said nothing as he stepped off the edge of the cloud and floated down underneath it. "Vaati?" Celestia spoke, letting Twilight hop onto her back and following the sorcerer, who was waiting directly underneath the cloud.

"I am most certainly not giving up like this," Vaati whispered, still grinning evilly. "The Palace of Winds is mine. It will always be mine. And I have an idea on how to get rid of our scaly interlopers. However…"

Vaati paused. Eager for him to finish, Celestia said, "Yes?"

"However, we will have to wait until nightfall to pull it off. And I am going to need a little help from some…familiar faces, so to speak."

Celestia and Twilight's eyes widened. "You…you're going to summon your monsters, aren't you?" Twilight hesitantly asked.

"I am. But I must warn you both. What you will see will be creatures you Equestrian could not imagine in your worst nightmares; beasts of legend whose very names send shivers down the people's spines. Are you prepared? Are you ready to be the first Equestrians to bear witness to the monsters of Hyrule?"

Celestia looked uncertain. "What of what happens afterwards? What will your monsters do then?"

"Do not worry, Celestia," Vaati replied, idly brushing off a fleck of dust from his cape. "They will stay inside the palace if I order them to…which I will, of course. After all, I can't keep this entire palace cleaned up all by myself, now can I?"

"…I suppose not," Celestia answered. "Very well, what should we do?"

XXXXXX

 _Palace of Winds, nightfall_ …

The moon shined brightly over the Palace of Winds, its soft light illuminating certain parts of the Great Hall in various shades of purple. The rest of the palace was dark and silent. In a certain room of the ancient temple, all the treasures Char and Plague had found throughout the parts of the palace they had explored today were piled into the middle of the room. Lying on top of their spoils were the two teenage dragons, smirking triumphantly. "Dude, I can't believe our luck!" Plague said with a grin. "Two days out 'n about and we already found this awesome hangout!"

Char sighed contentedly. "Yeah…and we even got to scare off that prissy pony princess too!"

The two youngsters shared a chuckle. "Aw yeah, that was sweet! The look on her face when ya told her off, ho boy! Hahahaha!" Plague laughed.

Char held up a gold goblet adorned with four large rubies and studied it nonchalantly. "Ya know, we haven't explored the whole place yet. I bet there's even cooler stuff up on the higher levels. We can look up there tomorrow."

"Yeah, I can't wait 'til…"

Suddenly they heard something strange. A slight scratching noise, as though something with claws was crawling across a stone floor. The noise was also getting louder, meaning that, whatever it was, it was approaching them. "What the heck?" Char said, glancing about suspiciously. "What is that?"

Something clicked in Plague's mind at that moment, and he gulped. "Hey, uh…Char? Remember when that weird guy told us about…w-what happens at night?"

"Yeah…I bet that's him! Sneaky little runt, I'll roast him when he gets here!"

The scratching noise was getting louder; it had almost reached their hoard. "Alright, who goes there?!" Char challenged, looking into the darkness. A strange shape could barely be seen moving through the dark. A moment later, though, the creature crawled into view, illuminated by the moonlight coming through one of the windows.

It was a large, rotted, disembodied hand with sharp, decayed claws. Char and Plague stared at it for a few horrifying seconds.

And then the Floormaster lunged at them.

"GYAAAAH!" Char screeched like a filly, scrambling backwards to avoid the zombified hand crawling murderously after him.

Plague jumped back and stared at the Floormaster trying to corner Char when he suddenly felt something wrap around his leg. He looked down to see that another Floormaster had grabbed hold of his leg. "H-HOLY VLADEZRÂDI, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!" Plague screamed in terror, trying to shake the monster off his leg.

"Heh heh heh heh," a menacing voice laughed in the darkness.

Two pinpricks of red light glowed in the darkness right behind Char. "Char, look out! Somethin's behind ya!" Plague warned.

Char whirled around to see a skeletal creature walk into the light, wearing tarnished red armor on its shoulders and legs and brandishing a rust-covered, but still deadly-sharp sword. The skin and muscle had long since rotted to dust, leaving the skull to flash a permanent rictus grin. Two glowing lights shone from its otherwise-empty eye sockets that bore menacingly into the teenage dragon as the Stalfos laughed again.

Finally getting the Floormaster to release his leg, Plague cried out, "L-let's get out of h-h-here, Char!"

Char barely managed to avoid a swipe of the Stalfos's razor-sharp blade and bolted. "Run! Run for your lives!" Char yelled.

"T-the treasure-!"

"FORGET IT!"

The two dragons ran into the main hall…and were greeted by dozens of strange, intimidating monsters whose eyes glowed menacingly in the dark. Giant two-legged beasts with heads like boars, floating ghost-like creatures carrying lanterns, more skeletons, strange wizard-like creatures with fire and ice flickering in their hats, and great armored knights who carried swords big enough to easily chop each dragon in two. All were armed. All were dangerous. And all of them looked _mad_.

Char and Plague shrieked like little girls and ran for the main entrance, desperate to escape. The horde of monsters chased after them, bellowing war cries and brandishing their weapons. The two dragons tripped over each other several times in their desperation to escape, until finally they managed to escape through the entrance. The minute they felt the cool night air, the two dragons spread their wings and took off, retreating back towards dragon territory with their tails between their legs. Slowly the monsters' roaring and bellowing degenerated into raucous, howling laughter as they laughed at the cowardly dragons they had just ejected from the palace.

Vaati, Twilight, and Princess Celestia shortly entered the grand hall where the group of monsters was gathered. The Wind Mage clapped his hands. "Bravo, gentlemen, bravo!" Vaati congratulated with his usual, slightly condescending drawl. "I don't think they'll be coming back anytime soon. Excellent job, boys."

The monsters hooted and hollered their approval of their master's words, shaking their weapons in the air. The Floormasters reared like horses, indicating their approval as well. After they quieted down, Vaati clapped his hands together and rubbed them together. "Alright then! Now that that's over with, allow me to give you the low-down on the situation here. This here is Princess Celestia, the ruler of the world we are currently in. Yes, we are not currently in Hyrule. And this is Twilight Sparkle, one of the citizens of this world."

One of the nearby Moblins licked its chops. "It looks tasty," it grunted, eliciting a gasp of horror from Twilight.

"Before any of you get any bright ideas, Twilight here is a friend of mine, and I will not tolerate any of you trying to eat her."

"What about the big one, then?" another Moblin immediately spoke up, a nonplussed look crossing Celestia's face at the implications.

"She's off-limits too," Vaati responded. "Furthermore, _all_ of Equestria's citizens are off-limits as well. We are here as guests, not conquerors. So get used to the fact that we aren't going to do any real plundering anytime soon."

The monsters all grumbled in protest but soon capitulated, knowing that arguing with their master was not a wise course of action. With the creatures pacified, Vaati turned to Twilight and Celestia. "I think they got the hint, girls. Now, let's get this lovely place to Ponyville. From there, I can watch over the populace and still be able to interact with them on a regular basis without having to travel long distances each way."

Celestia nodded. "Very well. Just make sure to keep these creatures on a tight leash. I won't tolerate them causing trouble, understand?"

"A crash course in Equestrian culture should set them straight quickly enough," Vaati dismissively said. "Now, stand back. My palace needs my guidance."

Vaati held his arms out and closed his eyes. Suddenly they all felt a slight lurch as the Palace of Winds began moving through the sky.

XXXXXX

When the citizens of Ponyville awoke the next morning, they began to go through their daily routine. Applejack readied the buckets for apple bucking, Rainbow Dash combed her mane before heading out to do weather work, Rarity applied her makeup and got Sweetie Belle ready for school, Pinkie Pie started baking stuff for the bakery, and Fluttershy woke up and prepared to greet Vaati for another day of animal care.

Each one of them soon noticed something looming over the town several thousand feet above them. Floating over the town was a floating castle of impressive size. As more and more ponies noticed the Palace of Winds casting an ominous shadow over Ponyville, they reacted with varying degrees of fear and confusion. Some hid in their homes and barricaded the doors, while others just stood in the streets and stared up at the imposing structure.

Soon, however, something surprising happened. Three figures descended from the looming palace and landed in the center of town, revealing themselves to be none other than Princess Celestia herself, Twilight Sparkle, and the sorcerer, Vaati. Easing up considerably with the presence of their princess, the gathered townsponies bowed. Celestia smiled. "Rise, my little ponies. I have an announcement to make."

They all stood up and listened to Celestia's words. "The building you see above you is an ancient fortress called the Palace of Winds. It does not hail from our world, but from Vaati's. This was his home before he came here, and it is where he shall be living now."

Vaati happened to notice Fluttershy in the crowd and said with a smug grin, "Oh, Fluttershy? Just so you know, I quit. And be sure to tell Angel Bunny that he's rabbit meat next time I see him."

Fluttershy did not protest. The sorcerer then noticed that Twilight looked a little dejected. "What's wrong with you?" he inquired.

"Nothing," Twilight answered. "It's…it's just that…with you moving back into your palace, it'll be just me and Spike again, and I…I kinda enjoyed having you around."

Vaati rolled his eyes. "What? It's not like you can't visit me. Besides, I have my own library."

Twilight's eyes widened in wonder. "Libraryyyy," she cooed happily.

The whole town shared a laugh at Twilight's antics. Unbeknownst to them, up in the palace, various beastly faces looked down upon the ponies, unable to deny the fact that they looked _delicious_. It was going to take some serious effort on Vaati's part to curb their unsavory appetites.


	6. Episode 6: Culture Shock

### Episode Six: Culture Shock

 _Palace of Winds, above Ponyville_ …

"Okay, let's go over this… _one. More. Time_."

Vaati was currently surrounded by his ever-faithful entourage of palace monsters, most of whom were looking at him with varying degrees of confusion and lack of comprehension. Vaati could feel a migraine coming on as he attempted to explain the workings of Equestrian society and the ground rules for the third time that morning. "Listen. The ponies who live down there are not to be eaten. At all. _Ever_. No exceptions. Understand?"

The group of monsters tentatively nodded their heads. "Good. Now, also, unless I say so, you are all to remain in the palace at all times, looking after the place. Is that understood as well?"

The monsters all nodded their heads again. "Furthermore, it appears many of the animals inhabiting this world are sentient, meaning they can think like us. Those owned by any of the pony citizens are off-limits too. However, beyond the town lies an expansive forest full of vicious creatures of various sizes. All of them are fair game to hunt, but expect your prey to fight back. Manticores have lethal venom stocked in their tails and cockatrices can turn you to stone if you look into their eyes. And for the love of Din, don't aggravate the giant bears. They aren't worth it."

The monsters nodded once more, almost appearing like a life-size assortment of novelty bobble heads. Vaati then looked to the congregation of Wizzrobes gathered at the far right. "As for you lot, I'm afraid you will not be 'collecting' books for me as you once did."

The Wizzrobes collectively groaned. The one standing in front, who wore green robes signifying him as a Warrior Wizzrobe, crossed his arms and said, "And why is that, sir?"

"As it so happens, Nigellas, the nearest library, down in the town, happens to be the home of my friend, Twilight Sparkle. For starters, I have already read every single book in her library, and therefore don't need any of you to pilfer them. The main reason, though, is because Twilight boasts an incredible amount of magical potential I have yet to fully comprehend the extent of."

The Wizzrobe Nigellas cocked an unseen eyebrow at this, while the other Wizzrobes stared at Vaati with varying degrees of doubt. "She is also nearly, if not just as, obsessed with books and knowledge as you all are, and I would like to make a point of not drawing her ire."

Several of the Wizzrobes resisted the urge to laugh in disbelief. Nigellas himself didn't look particularly convinced either. "I find myself doubting that a talking horse with a tattoo on her rear can be nearly as knowledgeable and book-savvy as us Wizzrobes."

Vaati coughed and pointed his thumb off to the side. Nigellas and his fellows all glanced at where he was pointing and found said unicorn sitting on the floor by one of the many bookshelves, nearly two-thirds of the bookshelf's contents stacked around her as she avidly read a volume of the _Hyrule Historia_. She didn't seem to notice the group of Wizzrobes staring slack-jawed at her. Snapping his fingers to catch their attention again, Vaati asked, "Any more questions?"

"…"

"Excellent. Now Nigellas, there is one thing you can do for me."

"Uh…yes, sir?"

"On the outskirts of the town is an apple farm. Bring back some apple seeds and plant them in the palace garden. _Don't let Applejack catch you_."

"It will be done, milord," Nigellas answered, saluting before teleporting away.

With that out of the way, Vaati turned his attention back towards the rest of his minions. One of the Moblins was busy picking his nose. "Stop that, it's disgusting," Vaati ordered.

Caught in the act, the Moblin pulled his finger out and snorted, accidentally flinging a nasty loogie into the shoulder pad of a Darknut with black armor and cape and a horned helmet. The Black Knight looked at the offending globule, then back at the sniffing Moblin.

The last thing that Moblin felt before abruptly blacking out was an armored fist crashing into his face.

With the Moblin unconscious, the Black Knight fished out a kerchief from his breastplate and wiped the booger off, flinging the dirtied cloth onto the offender's face. "Could you _not_ do that in the middle of a meeting?" Vaati tiredly scolded.

The Black Knight only grumbled in response before returning to his place alongside his fellow Darknuts. "So, does everyone finally understand what to do?" Vaati asked.

After a few moments, all the monsters finally nodded, eliciting a sigh of relief from Vaati. "Good. Now get this place fully cleaned up. I want everything back where it was before, tapestries, suits of armor, everything. Hop to it, boys."

The monsters dispersed to attend to their assignments, leaving Vaati on his own. The sorcerer walked over to where Twilight was reading. She was so engrossed in her book that she didn't notice him looming over her from behind. Looking over her shoulder, Vaati could see that she was currently in the middle of the section regarding the Hyrulean War Against Majora. Her eyes were wide with horrified fascination as she continued to take in the information.

" _By this time, untold millions had died in the demon raids. Scholars today still do not know the exact number of casualties suffered, but it is generally believed that, by the time the surviving races had finally organized under the leadership of Her Grace and the First Warrior, Hyrule's population was reduced to a quarter of what it once was. Nevertheless, the forces gathered would be enough to finally resist the might of Majora_ …"

"A fascinating subject, history," Vaati spoke, startling Twilight. "An endless epic of lessons learned, mistakes repeated…and lives lost."

Twilight put a hoof to her chest to calm her pounding heart. "Vaati, you startled me! That wasn't funny!"

"My aim wasn't humor," Vaati replied. "I take it you were familiarizing yourself with the single most cataclysmic event in our history?"

Her breathing resuming an even rhythm, Twilight sighed, choosing her words carefully. "I…uh, yeah. I remember some of the things you told me about Majora, and…what he was capable of…but, to actually read detailed accounts of what he had done…all the lives he took, the families he ruined, the curses his servants spread…it's just…it's _terrifying_ to think about. You were right; not even Discord was this cruel. A-and the fact that Majora tried to destroy the entire world just so he could boast about it to the other gods…I feel bad that your world suffered such a terrible tragedy."

Vaati looked away solemnly. "Hyrule is not a happy place, Twilight. Its history is rife with war and conflict. Sure, there are golden ages, but they never last, for ancient, evil powers will always return to cut them short and yet again usher in a time of darkness."

Twilight gulped nervously. "You were one of those… _powers_ , weren't you?"

Vaati gave a humorless chuckle. "I pride myself with being far more benign compared to fiends like Ganon, though I do admit I was no more popular among the populace than he. I just kidnapped maidens to provide me company for the most part, though my first time around I really did try to take over Hyrule. Almost succeeded too. But the power got to my head and I completely lost it. It wasn't until I did some honest thinking that I was able to break out of my power craze. That's when I retired and accidentally brought myself here."

Twilight looked down at the book. "It's hard to imagine, though…that such a place exists. So much war and violence and so little peace."

Vaati scoffed bitterly. "Oh, it gets better as it goes on. Demons weren't the only thing they fought. There have been numerous sectarian conflicts and civil wars that further stain the lands red with the blood of the innocent. The Goron-Zora War, the Hylian War of Unification, the Hylian Conquest, the Labrynnian Invasion, the list goes on. That's not even including the Imprisoning War when Ganondorf first appeared."

The sheer number of wars that could be fought in one world was mind-shattering to Twilight. "W-we've only had a few wars in the entire history of Equestria, but none of them were like this. The Pegasus-Unicorn-Earth Pony feud ended after Equestria was founded. The only true wars we had were the Griffon-Pony War and the Sombratic War, neither of which I know much about."

"At least you all got over your racism. Hylians certainly haven't."

Twilight's ears momentarily flattened against the side of her head as she heard this. "Call it a day, Twilight," Vaati suggested. "The more you read, the worse it gets. I don't want to bring you home a blubbering wreck. I doubt Pinkie would let me hear the end of it."

Twilight managed to chuckle a bit before closing the book and telekinetically returning them all to their proper places on the shelves. Vaati decided not to wonder aloud why she didn't do that in her own library and folded his arms. "Other than that, are you enjoying yourself?"

"Well, now that I think about it, I was too caught up with reading your books to really investigate the rest of this place," Twilight admitted. "I want to see the whole palace, but I'll admit…" At this, Twilight glanced at the recovering Moblin who was dazedly picking itself up off the floor and rubbing its nose, resolving to find the Black Knight and exact unholy vengeance upon the Darknut commander. "Your monsters kind of make me nervous."

"I wouldn't worry about them," Vaati answered dismissively. "The Darknuts and Wizzrobes are my most intelligent monsters and understand my orders. They'll make sure to keep the Moblins in line."

"What are they all going to eat, though?" Twilight inquired. "They look like carnivores, and ponies don't eat meat."

"I told them they can go hunting in the Everfree Forest. I assume that manticores, parasprites, and cockatrices are fair game, right?"

"Well, yeah but…" The more Twilight thought about it, though, she realized most of those monsters looked perfectly capable of bringing down manticores. Putting that uncomfortable thought aside, Twilight then said, "Also, before we head back to town, there's…uh, something I want to ask you."

Vaati quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Twilight suddenly appeared very timid, unsure of whether or not it was a good idea to ask him her question. He was briefly reminded of Fluttershy. "Come on, Twilight," Vaati spoke slightly impatiently, "spit it out."

Twilight took a deep breath. "Ok, uh…Vaati, my friends, a-and some other ponies…um, w-wanted to see the palace too. I-I was hoping you'd, uh, l-let them."

Vaati frowned. "If I didn't already know that you have no concept of humor I'd think you were trying to be funny."

"But…they really want to see it," Twilight pleaded, looking up at Vaati with big, watery eyes.

Vaati stared silently at her for several moments. "Please stop looking at me like that."

"…"

"I said stop it."

"…"

"Twilight…"

"…"

"Please…I can't take it!"

"…"

"Alright, fine! You win! I'll let them come."

Twilight clapped her hooves in joy. "Oh, this is going to be so great!"

"BUT," Vaati interrupted sternly. "You _must_ make sure that they all behave. My monsters may be loyal to me and will follow my orders, but I cannot guarantee your well-being if any of you start harassing them. They're not used to this kind of attention and aren't very adept at social interactions. Have I made myself clear?"

Twilight hastily nodded.

"Good," Vaati replied. "Now let's get you back down to the surface. I suspect Spike is starting to get lonely."

Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement as Vaati led her outside the palace onto the magic cloud that kept the magnificent structure aloft. At the very edge of the cloud was a floating platform made of stone with various ornate markings matching those of the inner palace. Shortly after bringing the palace to Ponyville two days ago, Vaati had rigged this slab of stone with the same anti-gravitational magic used to direct floating platforms in many of Hyrule's infamous temple dungeons. The platform had been rigged to ferry passengers between the town square of Ponyville and the Palace of Winds.

Many of the townsponies still had a habit of looking up at the looming structure every so often. Thus, several townsfolk watched as the platform containing the sorcerer and Twilight descended into the middle of the town, the librarian disembarking while Vaati stayed on. "I'll have everypony ready by noon tomorrow," Twilight said. "That'll give you time to prepare your minions for our arrival."

Vaati nodded in agreement. "I'll remember that. Good day to you, Twilight."

"Bye, Vaati!"

As Vaati directed the platform back up to the palace, Twilight trotted back to the library. She opened the door and, to her surprise, found all of her friends waiting for her. "Ah, there you are, Twilight!" Rarity greeted.

"Hey, girls," Twilight responded. "What're you all doing here?"

"We all wanna know what Vaati said!" Rainbow Dash answered, hovering in the air as usual. "So, did he say yes?"

Twilight nodded.

"Oh boy oh boy oh boy!" Pinkie Pie squealed, overjoyed as she bounced up and down hyperactively. "I can't wait to see his big ol' palace and all those monsters and then I can throw them a Welcome-to-Ponyville party and-!"

" _However_ , he has some conditions," Twilight interrupted, prompting Pinkie to cut her behavior short. "First of all, he wants us to behave. The Palace of Winds is huge. It's got enough rooms to house a small army. Because of that, Vaati said we need to stick close to each other. We can't get lost, because Vaati doesn't really want to have to round any of us up if we get lost. Secondly, he wants us to leave the monsters alone."

"Aww," Pinkie moaned.

"The reason for this is that his monsters are all warriors. All that they've ever known is fighting, warfare, and protecting the palace from intruders. Our society is as alien to them as theirs is to us. They aren't used to this kind of attention, and it may provoke them if we aren't careful."

"But Vaati said he'd keep his varmints on a leash," Applejack pointed out tersely.

"Even so, he specifically said that he can't guarantee our safety if we provoke or antagonize any of his monsters. He may be their boss and he may have ordered them to be civil around us, but they'll retaliate if they feel threatened. Pinkie, that means no parties or trying to make friends with them. They won't understand what you're doing and they won't like it."

Pinkie Pie pouted a little bit, but soon relented. She may have been hyperactive about making friends and all that, but she could understand if someone wasn't comfortable with the idea of friends. But it was something she knew a few weeks in Ponyville couldn't fix, so she still found a reason to smile.

"Now that we know that, I want to make the rules very specific for each of you," Twilight said, indicating each of her friends. "Rainbow Dash, keep your ego under control. The monsters probably won't think very highly of you at first glance, so don't try to pick a fight with any of them." Rainbow Dash grumbled a little and crossed her front legs. "Pinkie Pie, no throwing parties, no pestering the monsters. Got it?" Pinkie nodded. "Rarity, Vaati likes his palace the way it is. No suggesting alternate decorations. And please, no commenting on the monsters' attire if you think it's unfashionable. They don't care." Rarity's expression was a mix of emotions ranging from confusion to disappointment. "Fluttershy, stick close to everypony. I really don't want you getting lost in the palace with all those monsters about, okay?" Fluttershy timidly nodded, still unsure whether she wanted to go or not. "And Applejack, don't let your pride get the better of you. A lot of these monsters are vain by nature." Applejack 'harumph'ed audibly. "So does everyone understand what to do?"

The rest of the Mane Six nodded. At that moment, Spike made his presence known, having finished cleaning the library. "Hey, can I come too, Twi?" he asked hopefully.

"No, Spike," Twilight answered sternly. "First of all, I need you to keep an eye on the library in case somepony comes to check out a book. Second of all, I don't quite trust Vaati's monsters enough just yet to not eat you on sight. Vaati never mentioned baby dragons to them."

Spike gulped and shrank back behind Rarity, as if afraid that one of these aforementioned monsters might suddenly burst into the library and gobble him up. "Okay, Vaati said that he'll take us up there at noon tomorrow on that floating platform. Has anypony else expressed interest in going?"

"I'm glad you asked," came a male voice with a distinct Braytish accent from behind.

Twilight jumped in shock before turning around and seeing who it was. Three ponies had just entered the library as well: the mint-green unicorn musician Lyra Heartstrings, the cross-eyed mailmare pegasus Derpy Hooves, and the town clock-maker and eccentric inventor Doctor Time-Turner Whooves. "Oh, hello Doctor," Twilight greeted. "Nice to see you. Derpy, Lyra."

"Hi, Twilight!" Derpy greeted happily, waving a hoof.

"We'd all like to go too," Lyra stated with a dreamy smile. "Finally I can get close to Vaati and see a little bit of what his world is like."

Twilight chuckled, remembering Lyra's fascination with humans. Up until Vaati had arrived, everypony thought her research and stories were hogwash. Well, at least everypony except Whooves of course, who kept his reasons a secret that only few knew.

"Ah yes," Whooves chuckled. "You and your fascination with humans. Right then, I would also like to inform you that Mayor Mare intends to come too. I'm rather excited. Aren't you all excited?"

"I haven't been this excited since we got chased by those weird bug-lizard things back on that volcanic planet!" Derpy exclaimed, eliciting looks of confusion from the Mane Six.

Doctor Whooves chuckled nervously. "Ah haha, Derpy, I thought we agreed never to talk about that," he said, grinning weakly as his eyes darted around.

"Oops, sorry!" Derpy responded, motioning at her mouth like she was zipping it shut.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. She knew the doctor was strange, and she had heard some rumors that there was more to him than it seemed, but then she remembered what Celestia had said to Vaati when he had first come here. Traveling between worlds took more power than what both princesses together had. Then again, that raised the question of how Vaati was able to manage it in the first place. _Has the Doctor been to other worlds before_? Twilight thought to herself. _I should ask him later_.

"So I take it Mr. Vaati plans to take us all up there noon tomorrow?" Whooves asked, returning to the subject at hand.

Twilight nodded. "Mhm. He also doesn't want anypony to get lost in the palace or bother his monsters."

Whooves raised a curious eyebrow. "Monsters, you say?"

"Yeah. Vaati has these monsters that guard and help look after his palace."

Whooves rubbed his chin with his hoof. "How intriguing! I'm looking forward to seeing these creatures in person!"

Whooves turned around to leave. "Allon-sy, girls! See you tomorrow, Twilight!"

Lyra and Derpy followed the doctor out. "Great, now we got the resident mad scientist and village klutz along for the ride too," Rainbow groaned.

"Everything will be fine, Rainbow," Twilight said. "However, one thing does interest me."

"Uh…what?" Applejack asked.

"What Derpy said about her and the Doctor being chased by monsters on another world…I can't help but wonder…have they gone to alternate worlds too? I wonder if they ever went to Vaati's?"

"Derpy Hooves hasn't ever been completely, ehrm, right in the head, so to speak," Rarity said. "I wouldn't pay much attention to her bizarre stories, or Time-Turner's, for that matter."

Twilight decided to dwell on that later. Right now she needed to prepare for what was sure to be an eventful day tomorrow.

XXXXXX

 _Palace of Winds_ …

Most of the palace decorations had been returned to their proper places by now. The Moblins and Darknuts had put the suits of armor back together, and now they lined the main hall as they did once before. Poes, Wizzrobes, and Wallmasters were hard at work hanging the tapestries back up. Vaati smiled to himself as he supervised his henchmen's handiwork. Now this place was truly feeling like his home again. Since those infernal teenage dragons had had only enough time to hoard all the valuables on the ground floor, returning them to their proper places was talking a lot less time than it could have.

Soon it was all done, and Vaati took a moment to bask in the blessed familiarity of his home before beckoning his monsters over. "Gentlemen, you've done a splendid job," Vaati congratulated. "Now this place feels like a home again. The reason I've called you over is because I have an announcement to make. Tomorrow, we're going to have guests. Several of the more prominent residents of Ponyville have expressed their wishes to see the palace for themselves."

"Something tells me you didn't say no," Nigellas spoke flatly.

Vaati shot the head Wizzrobe a look before continuing. "Listen up. I intend to make a good impression on them. That means you need to make a good impression on them as well. Don't go out of your way to make yourselves appear intimidating, don't harass them, just go about your business, _and don't eat them_."

"They're bloody talking ponies," the Black Knight huffed. "They look like something out of a Hylian children's book. They're not worth the Darknuts' time."

The other Darknuts nodded their heads and mumbled in agreement. "As long as those unicorns don't try to tell us that they think they're better than us Wizzrobes," Nigellas warned, "then whatever."

"Nigellas, make sure you and your cohorts keep a lid on your egos," Vaati ordered. "Some of them have their own to match."

Nigellas folded his arms and grumbled incoherently like he usually did whenever he disapproved of something. "Tasty horses better not bother us," one Moblin grunted.

"Asking you a question or two will not be considered harassing," Vaati warned. "So don't get angry just because one of them said hi or something, got it?"

The Moblin growled in discontent but nodded in agreement. "Alright, everyone," Vaati spoke. "Rest up. I want everything to be perfect tomorrow, so be on your best behavior or I kick you off the palace roof. And yes, it's a long way down."

With that, the monsters dispersed to await tomorrow in their own ways.

XXXXXX

 _The next day, noon_ …

The Mane Six, Doctor Whooves, Mayor Mare, Lyra, and Derpy all stood in the town square, waiting for the floating platform to reach the town to take them all up to the Palace of Winds. After a few minutes, they could all see the platform descending slowly towards them until it finally came to a rest at their hooves. "Alright, everypony," Twilight bade. "Hop on."

The lift couldn't fit them all, but since Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Derpy were all pegasi, they all just flew alongside the platform, allowing enough room for the others to get on. "How fascinating!" Whooves remarked with a laugh, looking over the side as they slowly ascended further up into the sky. "I haven't seen this kind of magic before! Although I must say, Vaati could learn to invest a little in guardrails."

Everypony made sure to not make any sudden movements so that they wouldn't accidentally fall off. Whooves definitely had a point; a guardrail wouldn't make this a problem. The minutes ticked away as they got closer to the awaiting palace. Looking up, the gathered ponies finally began to appreciate just how large the Palace of Winds really was. Soon its towering spires blotted out the sun, leaving them in the darkness of the palace's imposing shadow. None of them save Twilight, who had already been here twice before, could help feeling somewhat intimidated by the impressive structure as they finally reached the large magic cloud upon which the palace's foundations lay.

Having reached their destination, they all disembarked, stepping onto the soft cloud. After all, it could hold up a palace; surely it could hold up Earth ponies. Indeed it did, and Doctor Whooves laughed in exhilaration. "Blimey, this is spectacular! In all my lives…uh, _life_ , excuse me…I've never experienced walking on a cloud, of all things! Ha, Equestria is such a wonderful place!"

They all looked up at the palace gate, which was closed. A strange eye-like design was painted onto the front door. Before any of them could think on that, the outer doors slowly began to creak open. Twilight rolled her eyes. _Vaati and his flair for dramatics_ , she mused to herself.

Soon the doors swung all the way open, revealing Vaati standing calmly at the threshold. "Ah, you have arrived," he greeted with his trademark smug grin. "Welcome, my esteemed guests, to the Palace of Winds!"

Raising an arm, the sorcerer beckoned the ponies into his magnificent home. As they all entered, they all took in their surroundings and their jaws dropped in awe. The many tapestries, paintings, and suits of armor gave the place a royal feel, as if a king lived there rather than a sorcerer. Several expressions of 'ooh', 'ahh', and 'cool' emanated from the guests as they marveled at the foreign architecture presented before them.

Vaati snapped his fingers and summoned some scrolls. "Now, these here are maps of the palace so that you don't get lost," he informed them, opening one up as an example. "Explore at your leisure. However, you will likely come across several of my servants during your exploration. Do not provoke them, do not antagonize them, do not try to hold a long conversation with them. They have business to attend to at this time, so do not bother them. Understood?"

The group of ponies nodded, eliciting another smirk from Vaati. "Good. Now take one and do whatever you wish. But do not make me regret bringing you here, or you will regret coming here."

The sorcerer then strode off to who-knows-where. "Alright then! We'll split into groups!" Twilight said. "Rarity, Fluttershy, you're with me. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, you'll be together."

"Yes, _mother_ ," Rainbow grumbled, disliking being ordered around.

In truth, Rainbow Dash wanted to explore the palace on her own. That way, she could feel like she was on an adventure in some abandoned temple looking for a long-lost treasure.

 _Whoa, where did that come from_? Rainbow suddenly wondered to herself, catching where her thoughts had been going.

"Come on, y'all," Applejack said, motioning to Pinkie and Rainbow.

"I guess that means we're our own group then," Whooves mused as the Mane Six dispersed. "Right, then. Allon-sy!"

XXXXXX

 _Applejack's Group, 1F, West Wing_...

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all heard a strange noise as they entered a particular room. It was another hall, with gaping holes lining the walls. The curious (and also frightening) thing was that huge metal balls were flying across the hall from hole to hole all the way to the other end of the room, where a door led to somewhere else. "Heavens to Betsy, what in tarnation is this?!" Applejack exclaimed.

"It's a dungeon trap!" Pinkie explained.

Rainbow and Applejack looked at her, prepared to question the source of that knowledge, and found Pinkie holding a note in her hoof. "Pinkie, where did you get that note?" Rainbow asked.

Pinkie pointed to the wall right beside her. "Right here! It's from Vaati. It says, "This is one of my dungeon traps to waylay intruders. I left it on so you could get the full experience of what it is like to live in this palace. I don't recommend you flying through it, Rainbow Dash. There's nothing exciting on the other side."

Rainbow glared at the trap as Pinkie giggled at the fact that Vaati knew Rainbow would have thought about doing just that. She turned around...

And found herself face-to-face with a Poe. "BOO!" it screeched, waving its lantern threateningly.

Rainbow and Applejack promptly screamed like fillies and held onto one another in terror. The Poe cackled madly at their reaction; these mortals were just too easy. Suddenly though, it heard someone else laughing with it. The Poe abruptly stopped and realized that the pink pony was laughing hysterically as if it had just told some sort of joke. Then she started making faces at it. _Mocking_ it. "Haha, you looks so funny!" Pinkie said. "Where's your face? Why're you carrying a lantern?"

The Poe just stared at her. _I-it laughed at me_...

Completely shocked that one of these pastel freaks of nature had laughed at it, the Poe abruptly disappeared, its self-confidence vanishing with it. The moment it was gone, Pinkie turned back to her friends. "Don't ya remember, girls?" she asked, grinning. "Always giggle at the ghosties!"

From where Vaati was observing them via invisible Eye Sentries following each group, he couldn't decide whether he should laugh at the absurdity or be offended that Pinkie was able to humiliate one of his monsters so easily.

XXXXXX

 _Dr. Whooves's group, 2F, West Wing_...

"I have to say, this is quite an extravagant place," Mayor Mare observed. "I do wish there was more variety in the stain-glass windows though. That same eye design gets boring after awhile."

"I think it's an intriguing design," Whooves answered. "I wonder what it's supposed to signify, though. Usually stained-glass windows depict events in history or religious figures. I somewhat doubt it's either. Maybe Vaati's family emblem, perhaps?"

"You know what I think is weird?" Derpy spoke up, scrunching up her face in thought. "This palace is Vaati's home, but Vaati never said he was a king. How'd he get such a fancy place to live in?"

"Perhaps he inherited it from a rich relative," Whooves suggested. "What with the monsters, though, it's also possible he may have taken it by force. Rather frightening to think about, really."

"Mm, I guess," Derpy replied.

Meanwhile, Lyra was eagerly examining the suits of armor lining the current room they were in, her eyes aglow with excitement. It was like a dream come true for her, being able to see a part of what the humans' mysterious culture was like. As she was about to run her hoof over the shiny metal surface of a particularly large suit with a strange, vertically-crested helm, she suddenly heard it speak.

"Don't touch me."

Lyra yelped and jumped back, catching her companions' attention. It was then that they realized this suit of armor was bigger than the others for a reason. It was one of Vaati's monsters. "W-what are you?" Lyra nervously asked. "A-are you a...human?"

There was a moment of silence, as if the creature was thinking about whether or not it would bother to answer. "No. I am a Darknut in service to Lord Vaati. I am assigned to guard this spot for reasons that are not yours to know. Now begone, your presence irks me."

The Mayor huffed in annoyance at such rude behavior. "A 'Darknut', you say?" Whooves asked. "What a curious name for a creature."

The Darknut shifted its position ever so slightly, calling attention to the truly massive broadsword clasped in its hands, its left arm protected by a round, broad shield. "Do you mean to mock my people, equine?" it snarled in a dangerous tone.

"Uh, Doctor, I think we should go," Derpy nervously suggested.

Realizing he had inadvertently offended this creature, Whooves held up a hoof in surrender. "Sorry, mate. Didn't mean to insult you or anything. We'll just be off now."

The Darknut's gaze bore into their backs until they were well out of its sight. "Hoo, close call!" Whooves breathed. "Too serious, that one."

"Lyra, if you feel the need to touch something out of the ordinary," the Mayor chastised, " _ **don't**_."

Lyra sheepishly looked away. "Sorry about..."

That was when she saw the large hand crawling across the floor a short distance away from her. Though most other people would have immediately taken notice of its zombified status, the only thing on Lyra's mind was: _hand_!

"Oh! Oh! Come here!" Lyra enthusiastically cried, galloping after the Floormaster while the others called out to her.

Seeing an overeager mint-green unicorn bearing down on it, the Floormaster did the first thing that popped into its pseudo-mind: run like heck.

Taking off down the corridor, the Floormaster attempted to escape its technicolor pursuer, but Lyra was persistent. "W-wait! Come back!" she cried as she ran, disappearing around the corner.

"Lyra! Get back here!" Derpy yelled.

"Lyra!" Whooves yelled.

No response. Lyra did not emerge from beyond the corner. "Lyra?" the Mayor called out, worried.

After a few moments of silence, they could hear a faint yelling that sounded almost like Lyra! Before they could rush to her aid, they saw Lyra round the corner, galloping as fast as she could.

Behind her were some twenty-odd Floormasters in hot pursuit.

Whooves's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Oh, _bollocks_."

" _Ruuuuuun_!" Derpy screamed.

Screaming in terror, the four ponies made a run for it, with the horde of zombie hands chasing relentlessly after them. "This is like Planet Char all over again!" Derpy cried.

"I thought we agreed not to mention that!" Whooves yelled back.

XXXXXX

 _Twilight's group, 3F, East Wing_...

Twilight and her group seemed to have entered a new room. Its opulence was a minor degree below the rest for some reason. The room was round, and seemingly jutted out from the main body of the palace; they had likely entered one of the larger towers. There were no furniture or decorations of any kind. The windows were normal, not stained-glass, allowing an observer an unobstructed view of the surface world. The floor was carpeted purple, with a golden trimming resembling a more detailed version of Vaati's eye symbol in the very center of the room.

"This is where it happened," came Vaati's unexpected voice.

The ponies jumped in surprise before calming down and regarding the sorcerer as he entered the room. "Hey, Vaati," Twilight greeted before blinking in realization. "Wait, where what happened?"

Vaati smiled wanly. "This is where I was when I got sent to Equestria. This is the very room I battled the Hero of Legend for the last time. And this...is what sent me here."

The mage held up an arrow for them to see. It was relatively smaller than the average arrow, being meant for a shortbow. The arrowhead was cracked. "Darling, that's just an ordinary arrow," Rarity pointed out.

Vaati shook his head. "It is now, but not when the Hero was using it. When this arrow was used against me, it was empowered by pure light magic, which has since left it. Funny the way the universe works sometimes, isn't it?"

It was at this moment that Nigellas the Wizzrobe felt the need to teleport into the room. "Ah, sire. We have a problem."

Twilight winced as Vaati's teeth clenched. "I was afraid of this," he mumbled before addressing Nigellas. "What happened?"

"The group of four ponies are being chased around by all the Floormasters in the west wing of the floor below us," Nigellas answered. "And the blue member of the other group has gotten belligerent with one of the Moblins."

Vaati groaned and rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Guuhh, this is just what I need. I told everyone to behave!"

Before Twilight could offer her help, Vaati teleported away, leaving the three of them alone with Nigellas. For several minutes, heavy silence reigned. "How many books do you read a week, pony?" the Wizzrobe abruptly asked.

"Uh...between twenty to thirty," Twilight answered cautiously. "Why?"

"...Tell me what you know about the application of magic in determining how to properly boost the maturing process of large plants."

XXXXXX

 _Applejack's group_...

Vaati appeared to a most peculiar scene. Applejack was holding Rainbow Dash by the tail as the pegasus vehemently attempted to get her hooves close enough to the Moblin's face to cave it in while Pinkie tried, of course, to make friends with it. The hulking creature regarded them all with disdain. "Weakling little chicken horse," the Moblin spat. "You're no match for me!"

"Who're you callin' chicken?!" Rainbow shot back. "Come over here 'n say that to my face, you ugly mule!"

The Moblin grinned. "I'd love to. You look _tasty_."

"What is going on here?!" Vaati demanded, having heard enough.

The Moblin stood up perfectly straight at its master's presence. Seeing the mage, Rainbow quit trying to pile-drive the Moblin, allowing Applejack to release her hold on her friend's tail. "We were just headin' down this corridor, mindin' our own business, and then we see this guy," she said, pointing a hoof towards the Moblin. "Ah don't quite blame her 'cuz this varmint's ugly as a warthog's rump, but when Rainbow saw him she couldn't keep her big mouth shut. It kinda got worse from there."

The Moblin growled in offense but stayed where it was. Vaati looked down at the still-steaming pegasus. "Rainbow Dash, I told you to keep your ego in check, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but-!"

"But nothing! Keep it under control, and you!" Vaati pointed at the Moblin, who flinched. "Don't even think about eating ponies again, you hear?!"

The Moblin quickly nodded its head before Vaati returned his attention to the ponies. "At six o'clock I'm sending you all home. Be back at the entrance of the palace by that time."

Vaati then teleported over to the near vicinity of the Floormaster stampede, just around the corner of where they were due to appear. Shortly Whooves, Derpy, Mayor Mare, and Lyra rounded the corner and ran past the sorcerer. "Stampede!" Derpy cried.

Vaati rolled his eyes as the Floormasters appeared as well. The whole group stopped in their tracks when they saw Vaati in their path. "This chase is over," the sorcerer commanded. "Back to your hiding spots! Go on, now! Off with you!"

The Floormasters immediately scattered and followed their orders, disappearing back the way they came. Realizing the monsters were no longer chasing them, the four ponies stopped running and approached the sorcerer. "Thanks for that!" Whooves said. "What a mess that was!"

"Who started it?" Vaati gruffly asked.

Lyra hesitantly came forward, hanging her head in shame. "I-I did, sir…I saw those hands, and…I just couldn't help myself! Everything about humans has always been fascinating to me."

"You would do well to curb your enthusiasm, then," Vaati replied. "I specifically said not to antagonize the monsters."

"Yes, we do have somewhat of a bad habit of doing just that," Whooves sheepishly mumbled.

"Yes well, make it not a habit," Vaati sourly replied. "Also, be back at the entrance by six o'clock. I trust you can do that without messing up?"

"Of course!" Derpy cheerfully assured, somehow not really convincing the sorcerer.

Vaati just turned on his heel and strode off.

XXXXXX

 _Twilight's Group, former Boss Room, 3F_ …

Rarity and Fluttershy looked on as Twilight engaged in a lengthy discussion with the Wizzrobe Nigellas about magical theory and the property differences between their two worlds. Informative though it might have been, Rarity didn't really want to listen to them talk non-stop about things she honestly didn't care much about.

"Ah, Twilight?" Rarity asked. "Shouldn't we be getting a move on?"

"Go on ahead, girls," Twilight answered. "I think I'm gonna be here a while. So anyways, when we want to cast magic, we just focus our essence through our horns and…"

Rarity stopped paying attention to their conversation and motioned for Fluttershy to follow her. The two ponies traipsed through the many halls and rooms, occasionally passing by a Moblin. Rarity had to exert all of her willpower not to comment on the grisly appearance of the pig monsters. On the other hand, though, the palace was perfect in her eyes. Vaati certainly did have a knack for fashion and style, though the mage would never admit it out loud. She really couldn't see any ways she could improve it. Fluttershy kept very close to her, especially when the Moblins appeared. Those beasts were _terrifying_.

And then Rarity saw it.

Slowly approaching them from the other end of the hall was a tall, heavily-armored figure. Its armor was charcoal black, and trimmed with gold patterns and runes in a foreign language Rarity couldn't begin to even guess the meaning of. A black cloak flowed from its back down to its knees, the bottom trimmed with a similar gold pattern. Its helmet was roughly cylindrical, with two horns curving over the top. What could be seen of the face revealed a somewhat dog-like creature, though it had a rather short snout. In one hand was a tremendous broadsword that broadened at the end to resemble almost an axe head; in the other was a round, broad shield. Both sword and shield matched the color scheme and designs on the creature's armor.

The creature seemed to pay them no mind as it came closer. Examining the Darknut's finely-crafted armor, Rarity could not stop herself. "Excuse me, sir," she called, trotting up to the Black Knight.

Fluttershy hid behind Rarity as the Black Knight stopped and regarded them both with scrutinizing eyes. "What?" it gruffly replied in a dark, rough voice.

"My name is Rarity, good sir knight, and I must say your armor is absolutely gorgeous!"

The Black Knight had admittedly not expected that response. "Gorgeous?"

"Why, absolutely! It looks positively magnificent! The color! The trimmings! Whoever crafted it has a skilled hoof…or hand, in your case."

 _Flattery_. That was something Darknuts were not accustomed to. Fear gripped the other races at the mere mention of Darknuts, and the other monster tribes didn't really have a true concept of beauty. Faced with such praise, the Black Knight could not help but preen. "We Darknuts pride ourselves on our metalworking skills," he replied. "It is as honorable a profession as a warrior's. No other race can boast of finer."

"I would have to agree," Rarity said. "It's positively radiant! It's obvious you take good care of it!"

"Indeed, for a Darknut's armor is his soul. Irreplaceable. It is what protects us in battle. Weak armor is useless, so we must look after it with all our hearts."

"I can admire such dedication. Oh, forgive me, how rude! I never caught your name, sir knight."

"I am called the Black Knight," the Darknut introduced. "I am the leader of the cadre of Darknuts that aids in the defense of this palace. But…my true name is Maulgrim."

Rarity curtsied. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Maulgrim. And this here is my friend, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy managed to squeak out a barely-audible, "H-h-hello."

Rarity smiled. "You'll have to forgive her. She's rather shy around new people. But please, tell us more about your esteemed people, Sir Maulgrim. Such fine armor certainly boasts of a rich culture."

Overwhelmed by such generosity, Maulgrim spoke of his people for the first time to outsiders.

XXXXXX

When six o'clock finally struck, and Celestia began to lower the sun so Luna could usher in the night, Vaati stood by the entrance to the palace, awaiting his guests. Dr. Whooves's group arrived first, talking amongst themselves as Lyra held up their map. A few minutes later, Applejack's group came next, with Rainbow Dash actually walking for once, shaking profusely as if she had seen a ghost. Vaati smirked in amusement; Rainbow had wandered off from Applejack's group and nearly had a heart attack when she encountered a Stalfos. The undead creature had only laughed as Rainbow promptly ran for her life.

Vaati chose not to comment as they waited for Twilight's group. A few moments went by, and then Vaati saw Twilight approaching, only she wasn't with the rest of the Mane Six. She was currently holding an intellectual conversation with Nigellas as they walked to the rendezvous point. Vaati raised an eyebrow. It seemed Nigellas had taken a shine to Twilight after all.

Shortly afterward Rarity and Fluttershy arrived last, who, to Vaati's immense surprise, were conversing with the Black Knight, of all people. Clearing his throat to get their attention, Vaati said, "Alright then. I trust you all had an… _interesting_ experience?"

"You bet!" Pinkie chirped.

The others nodded in agreement. Vaati looked over at Rarity and Maulgrim. "So it seems some friendships were forged after all, eh?" he asked with a knowing smirk. "Then it seems this event wasn't a waste. Anyhow, it's time to go, ladies and gentleponies."

"Actually, it's fillies and gentlecolts, darling," Rarity politely corrected.

"Horses! Whatever," Vaati retorted.

Rarity looked up at her newest friend. "Well, I'm afraid we'll have to go our separate ways for now," she said.

Maulgrim looked somewhat sheepish. "You…will return though?"

Rarity smiled. "Of course I will, darling. You have so much more to tell me, after all. Good day, Sir Maulgrim."

Maulgrim bowed his head. "Good day…Lady Rarity."

"I'll try to come back as soon as I can," Twilight said to Nigellas. "There's so much to discuss still!"

"I truly look forward to it," Nigellas answered, tipping his wizard's hat. "Until then…good day."

"Bye, Nigellas!" Twilight waved as the group of ponies exited the palace to return home.

Vaati, Nigellas, and Maulgrim watched them board the lift and descend out of view, back towards the town. "Friendship isn't something you expect in life, is it?" Vaati asked, his minions nodding in agreement.

XXXXXX

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I would like to inform you that the meeting between my monsters and the Ponyvillians has gone smoothly. To my surprise, though, I found that unexpected friendship have started to form. It's rather interesting, seeing my minions learn these lessons for themselves, but I find that I am happy for them. Friendship is a truly unpredictable thing. Just like magic._

_Sincerely, Vaati_

After Vaati had finished his letter, he summoned one of his Eye Sentries and handed it the folded letter. "Take this to Princess Celestia in Canterlot," he ordered.

The creature squeaked as it grasped the letter by its barely-visible talons and took off out the open window. Vaati watched the sentry fly towards the distant spires of Canterlot, and smiled in contentment.


	7. Episode 7: A Dog And Pony Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rarity is kidnapped by the Diamond Dogs, and Vaati and the others must rescue her. Cue major Diamond Dog butt-whooping.

**Episode Seven: A Dog and Pony Show**

Rarity was busy at work in her shop, attaching various jewels to a dress she had just sewn. As she set a choice cut sapphire into the fabric, she exclaimed, "Ah, perfect!"

She didn't have long to bask in her self-praise before she heard the door open, triggering the bell that informed her of visitors. "Coming!" Rarity said, hiding the unfinished dress behind a curtain before turning to greet her visitors. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chique, unique, and magnifique!"

It was then that she noticed her visitor, and gasped in shock. A yellow-coated mare with a styled blue mane and tail, with heavy makeup and a truly gaudy white dress, stood before her. "S-S-Sapphire Shores!" Rarity exclaimed in disbelief. "The pony of pop!"

"Good afternoon, Miss Rarity!" Sapphire greeted, stepping by the slack-jawed fashionista.

Rarity shook profusely. "Y-You know my name," she breathed.

"Well, of course I do, darling!" Sapphire responded, investigating a row of completed dresses on hangers. "I make it a point to know the names of all the up and coming fashion designers, and Clothes Horse Magazine simply raved about _you_!"

As Sapphire continued investigating Rarity's dresses, Rarity nearly swooned. "Oh my stars!" she whispered to herself, trying to prevent herself from fainting. "If I'm dreaming, do not wake me up! How may I help you, Miss Shores?"

"Oh please! Call me Sapphire!"

Rarity giggled sheepishly. "H-how may I help you…Sapphire?"

"Well, as you know, I'm goin' to be touring all of Equestria for my latest concert, _Sapphire Shores's Zig Filly Fally_ , so I need to look…" Sapphire sang the last word. "Seeensationaaaaal!"

Rarity turned around. "I have just what you need! Sapphire Shores, prepare yourself for the _piece de resistance_!"

Rarity flung aside the curtain, revealing the dress she had been working on. It was actually more of a bodysuit, white and studded with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. Sapphire's eyes sparkled just as much as the dress did. "I used every last diamond I found for this one garment!" Rarity explained.

Sapphire inhaled in awe. "And it is _spectacular_! I'll take it!"

Rarity grinned. "Really?"

"Oh, yes! And five more, each done up with a different jewel!"

Rarity's heart nearly stopped. "Beg pardon?"

"Costume changes," Sapphire explained.

Rarity's eye twitched once before she glanced at her box of jewels, which, as luck would have it, was now empty. At that moment the designer lost all self-control and collapsed in a heap. Sapphire chuckled as she headed out of the shop. "Yes, I do have that effect on ponies."

XXXXXX

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to treat me to lunch," Vaati said to Twilight, stabbing his fork into a slice of cheesecake made fresh at Sugarcube Corner.

The two of them were currently enjoying a meal at the library after picking up some food from the various cafes and Sugarcube Corner. Nigellas the Wizzrobe discreetly hung near the back of the library out of earshot, engrossed in a book about unicorn magic, while Maulgrim the Darknut was somewhere in the town, familiarizing himself with the place.

It had been a week and a half since the Palace of Winds had settled over Ponyville, and some of Vaati's monsters had been given the privilege to explore Ponyville (with Mayor Mare's blessing, of course) on their free time. The Moblins and the undead monsters were still confined to the palace, but Maulgrim and Nigellas, having been the first monsters to get a taste of what true friendship was like, were allowed to roam the surface world as long as they didn't cause trouble.

"Well, I just figured you'd like to spend a little time away from the palace," Twilight answered. "I don't get to see you as often anymore since you're up there so often."

"Ah, well," Vaati replied, pausing to take a sip of tea, "I suppose I just enjoy having my old home back so much that I haven't thought much about leaving it for a while. You raise a fine point, though; I shouldn't hole myself up there twenty-four-seven. Not very many lessons I can learn about friendship that way, is there?" The sorcerer scoffed lightly at his comment.

Twilight giggled. Vaati took this moment to glance around the library. "Now that I think about it, where is Spike?" Vaati asked. "I haven't seen him at all today."

"Rarity wanted his help in finding some gems for her dresses," Twilight explained. "Apparently the pop singer Sapphire Shores commissioned a bunch of jewel-studded dresses from Rarity for her upcoming concert tour."

Vaati rolled his eyes. "Concert tours. This world is weird."

XXXXXX

Spike carted along a red wagon as he followed Rarity down a barren dirt path. "Omigosh, Sapphire Shores, the pony of pop!" Spike cried with enthusiasm. "She is _awesome_! I mean she's gorgeous and talented and…" Rarity looked up from where she was magically scanning for jewels and shot him a pointed look. "…And not even half the pony _you_ are, eh heh. You're like, ten times more gorgeous than her, and talented, and…"

"Oh, Spike," Rarity interrupted, "a lady is never jealous."

"O-of course not! But were you totally flippin' out or what?!"

"Ladies do not 'flip out', Spike. However, I was quite in awe!"

Rarity began scanning the area with her horn, pacing to and fro. "I need to find more jewels than ever before for her costumes."

Rarity suddenly stopped as she sensed a small collection of gems buried in the dirt. "Aha!"

"What, did you find some?" Spike asked eagerly.

Rarity pointed at the spot. "Right there!"

Spike immediately began tunneling into the dirt and soon revealed the sparkling gems. His mouth immediately began to water. "Oooh," he spoke, licking his lips. "You look…so… _delicious_."

No sooner had the baby dragon scooped them all up and opened his mouth wide that Rarity warned, "Spike!"

Spike looked guiltily up at her. "I promised you a few gems for you to snack on," Rarity said. "But we need to collect more first, or I'll never be able to finish those dresses for Sapphire!"

Sighing, Spike walked over to the wagon and looked at his haul fondly. "I will miss you…my sweets."

"Come along, Spike! We have many jewels to find!" Rarity bade as she trotted past Spike.

"At your service, milady!" Spike responded, bowing grandly before pulling the wagon again.

XXXXXX

Several hours went by as Rarity pointed out small caches of gems and Spike promptly dug them all up and tossed them on the wagon, having difficulty resisting the urge to consume them all. Finally, when the wagon was laden with gleaming gems, they paused in their work, Spike staring lustfully at their hoard. Suddenly he felt a hoof tap his head repeatedly, bringing him back to earth.

"You've been such a great help, Spike," Rarity congratulated. "And for that, you get the finest reward!"

The unicorn levitated a large sapphire out of the pile of jewels towards Spike. "This is from me to you!"

Spike suddenly clamped his mouth shut at the implications as he seized it in his claws. Speechless, Spike looked up at Rarity, overcome by her beauty and generosity. "Is something wrong, Spike?" Rarity asked, seemingly oblivious.

Spike smiled dreamily. "No…it's perfect."

Suddenly Rarity's horn spontaneously lit up, sensing another hoard of gems nearby. A big one too, if her reaction was anything to go by. "Bring the cart, Spike! There are more over here!"

Spike stared at his gift. "For me…from Rarity."

XXXXXX

Unbeknownst to the both of them, their progress did not go unnoticed. Behind a bush, a trio of dark figures observed the pair. "Yes…yes, gems! Precious gems!" one of them hissed in a high-pitched, scratchy voice, watching Spike pull the wagon. "He is the gem hunter! With him, we could have all those gems and more! Let's get the…dragon!"

The creatures began to slink away, until they heard the unicorn call out Spike's name, quickly luring them back. "Wait! Who is that?!"

"You know, it's terrible to keep a lady waiting!" Rarity off-handedly reprimanded, her horn aglow.

"Coming!" Spike called, approaching with the wagon.

Rarity pointed her horn towards a spot on the ground, prompting Spike to dig furiously. "You know, I really think we're going to strike gold with this one!" Rarity said. "So to speak."

A moment later, Spike emerged from the hole, carrying a huge deposit of brightly-colored jewels in his arms. "Jackpot!"

"Oh…it's not the dragon we want, it's the pony!" the unnoticed creature hissed.

"The pony…" its companions growled as they retreated.

"Well Spike," Rarity said as Spike placed the gems on the wagon, "I think that's all we can do for today, and these will certainly help get me well on my way with Sapphire's outfit. Why don't we start heading-!"

Suddenly Rarity's horn began to glow again, this time fierce and bright. "Oh! What's this? Another jewel!"

Rarity began to follow the tracking spell urging her towards her target and looked up in confusion. "Oh, it's…it's in the trees!"

A small yellow gem was peeking out of the shrubbery, and she touched it with her horn.

Said jewel immediately revealed itself to be a necklace belonging to a large, dog-like creature with large teeth, squinted eyes, and an open vest with jewels crammed into its pockets that emerged from the bushes, grinning nastily at a shocked Rarity. Stepping back warily, Rarity tentatively greeted, "Why, uh…hello, gentle…uh, fellow. I'm, uh, Rarity, and this is my friend, Spike."

Spike nervously laughed and waved.

"A-and you are?" Rarity asked.

The creature leapt out of the bushes, its large arms raised threateningly. This creature reminded Rarity somewhat of the Darknuts roaming Vaati's palace, but unlike the tall, straight-backed warriors, this creature was bow-legged with a slightly hunched back. "A Diamond Dog!" it spoke, advancing menacingly on Rarity.

Rarity and Spike nervously backed up. "Oh, really?" Rarity asked nervously. "That explains your fine taste in jewelry. I-I know that diamonds are a girl's best friend, and n-now I know that they're a dog's best friend too! Ahem, so, uh, haha, you're hunting for gems as well?"

"Yes!" the Diamond Dog sneered. "We hunt!"

"Uh, we?" Rarity repeated, eyes wide.

The Dog indicated its necklace. "We hunt for gems, but you are a better hunter! So now we hunt… _for you_!"

Suddenly two more Diamond Dogs, one much larger and the other much smaller than the first one, popped out of the ground right behind Rarity, knocking Spike aside. Rarity saw the larger one reaching for her and avoided its grab, screaming in terror. Spike drove his tail into the smallest Dog's tail like a jackhammer, causing it to howl in pain and jump into the air. Spike then tried to push the larger creature aside. "Run, Rarity! RUN!"

The Diamond Dog promptly smashed Spike's face into the dirt with one finger. Recovering quickly, Spike grabbed a hold of its legs before it could pounce after Rarity. Surprised, the beast fell over, its huge hand catching the smaller Dog's tail, knocking it down as well. "Come on, Spike!" Rarity yelled. "Hurry!"

She did not notice the third Dog pop up behind her until it was too late. "Gotcha!" it growled.

Rarity screamed.

Spike, still holding onto the big Dog's legs, cried, "I got 'im!"

The Dog then bucked its legs, flinging Spike into a tree as his spikes caught on a large branch. "Haha, nope!" it guffawed.

"Not sorry, scaly one!" the smallest one cackled as they fled.

"N-no, wait!" Spike yelled.

"Put me down this instant, you ruffians!" Rarity yelled as she wiggled in the lead Dog's hold. "I said, put me down!"

Ignoring her, the trio of Diamond Dogs leapt into a hole, Rarity protesting all the way. "Rarity!" Spike yelled, rushing towards the hole.

Rarity managed to pull herself halfway out. "Spike! Oh, dirt! Agh!"

Three Dog hands then pulled her back under, Rarity shrieking in fear. " _Saaaaave meeeeeeeee_!"

Spike fell to his knees and screamed into the heavens. " ** _NOOOOOOOOOO_**!"

XXXXXX

 _Back at the library_ …

"I demand to know what asinine drivel my eyes have been enslaved by!" Nigellas demanded, unable to look away from the book he was reading.

"I see you've taken a shine to the _Daring Do_ series," Vaati observed with a light smirk.

"It's stupid! It serves no educational purposes! _And I can't stop reading it_!"

"Heh, I remember when I first picked it up," Vaati reminisced. "It has its charm, does it not?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. _Fiction must not be something Wizzrobes encounter very often_ , she thought to herself.

Suddenly a noise shook the library as a large shape burst through the door, knocking it off its hinges and knocking off a good chunk of the wall above the door. The sound startled Twilight so badly that she fell on her back in a heap rather reminiscent of Fluttershy. Nigellas dropped his _Daring Do_ book and reflexively fazed out of view, while Vaati already had a spell ready to cast. Shortly, however, the intruder revealed itself to be a large, hulking Darknut. Being currently off-duty, the Darknut's heavy armor was absent, instead replaced by a simple olive-green tunic and rough tan leggings and boots. Clasped around his waist was a belt bearing a Knight's Crest, the pride of every Darknut warrior. The Darknut appeared to be cradling something in his arms.

As Twilight twitched on the ground, Vaati dispersed his spell. "Maulgrim! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Forgive me, milord," Maulgrim apologized. "Perhaps I should have knocked first. Nonetheless, I believe we have a problem."

Vaati's eyes narrowed. "What kind of _problem_? And why the devil are you holding Spike?"

"This little one had something to say to me, but I could not make it out. All I heard was…"

 _Flashback_ …

Maulgrim had just entered the town square when he happened to notice Spike scrambling towards the library. His eyes were wide as dinner plates, and he was hyperventilating; he looked like he had just seen a ghost. Spike, in his haste to reach the library, nearly ran into him. "You there!" Maulgrim boomed. "What ails you, wyrmling?"

Spike looked up at the Darknut, his eyes wild with terror as he babbled, "Rarity! Help! Jewels! Dogs! Taken! Save her!"

Maulgrim grunted in irritation. "Speak sense, wyrmling!"

Then when Spike realized he was talking to a creature that, for all intents and purposes, closely resembled a Diamond Dog, his addled mind promptly shut down, and the baby dragon fainted.

 _End Flashback_ …

Twilight, having finally recovered from her shock and stood up again, regarded the unconscious baby dragon with worry. "He said something about Rarity. A few hours ago, he and Rarity went off to find some gems for a set of dresses Rarity was going to make. Oh no! What if something's happened to her?"

"Maulgrim, lay him on the table," Vaati commanded.

The Darknut did so, and Vaati conjured a glass of water before pouring it unceremoniously all over Spike's face. The dragon immediately regained consciousness, spluttering and coughing as Twilight, Vaati, Nigellas, and Maulgrim surrounded him. "Spike," Vaati spoke, trying to get his attention. "Spike, look at me!"

Spike was breathing heavily as he looked up at the sorcerer, noticing Maulgrim looming over him from behind. "Agh!" he screamed, pointing at the Darknut. "T-t-there's a Diamond Dog right behind you, Vaati!"

"Gather your bearings, Spike!" Vaati responded. "Maulgrim's a Darknut, not a Diamond Dog. Now what happened? Where is Rarity?"

Spike was shivering profusely and still hyperventilating somewhat, but was able to respond. "R-Rarity and I w-w-were looking for gems w-when these big creepy guys called the Diamond Dogs popped up and kidnapped her!"

"Kidnapped?!" Twilight repeated, aghast.

"They did ** _what_**?!" Maulgrim angrily bellowed, his thunderous voice shaking the rafters.

Spike trembled under the Black Knight's righteous fury. Vaati glanced at the Darknut and snapped, "Maulgrim, settle down! He's terrified enough as it is!"

Maulgrim quieted, but the murderous flame did not vanish from his eyes. "Alright, Spike," Vaati said. "Do you have any idea where Rarity was taken?"

Spike hastily nodded, prompting the sorcerer to turn towards Nigellas. "Get to the Palace and bring me back a small detachment of Wizzrobes. I want a pair of Aquamancers and Pyromancers, an Aeromancer, and four Geomancers. Maulgrim, go with him and suit up. Be back down here in ten minutes with the reinforcements. Now get to it!"

Nigellas nodded, teleporting himself and Maulgrim away to the Palace. "I'll get the others!" Twilight cried, galloping out the door.

XXXXXX

 _Thirty minutes later_ …

Vaati, the Mane Six, Maulgrim, Nigellas, and nine different-colored Wizzrobes ran or floated as fast as they could in the directions Spike was pointing them in. In order to match their pace, Maulgrim had opted not to don his heavier plate armor, settling for his under-armor instead, which consisted of a chainmail hauberk under a faded black tunic and leggings, as well as gauntlets and ankle guards with steel boots. Instead of the usual Darknut broadsword, he wore his secondary dueling saber at his side. He still carried his large, round shield, though. The Pyromancers wore red robes with magical flames dancing on their hats; the Aquamancers' robes were blue, with icicles hanging from the brims of their hats; the Aeromancer was clothed in grayish-white, but with no special effects in its hat; and the Geomancers wore robes colored like the brown earth, with a ring of rocks buckled around the bowl of their hats.

As Twilight ran, she glanced up at Spike, who was busy fretting. "So you said Rarity was dragged into a hole?"

"Uh huh," Spike nervously responded.

"Oh! This should be easy then! We just find the hole she was taken into and-!"

The group suddenly stopped cold as they reached the quarry. There were holes everywhere. "Holy moly, that's a lotta holeys!" Pinkie Pie cried.

The Geomancers stepped forward and cast their hands out simultaneously towards the pockmarked quarry below. "What in tarnation're they doin'?" Applejack demanded.

"Shh!" Vaati hissed. "They're using their geomancy to detect where the holes lead, and if there's anybody waiting for us down there."

The four Geomancers pooled together their strength into one spell, intensifying it to encompass the entire quarry and receive the same information feed simultaneously. After a few minutes they all lowered their arms. "Well?" Vaati asked.

"The holes all lead to different areas of an underground labyrinth," one of the earth-bending Wizzrobes explained. "There's quite a number of bio-signs within the caverns. There appears to be a massive mining operation down there."

"Makes sense, considering Diamond Dogs' culture surrounding jewels," Twilight observed.

"Forget that!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Let's just get down there, rescue Rarity, and kick some flank!"

"Burn their bones black!" a Pyromancer cried.

"Freeze their souls solid!" an Aquamancer vowed.

"Blow them away!" the Aeromancer cackled.

"Bury them in their own tombs!" a Geomancer spoke.

All the ponies looked at the grinning Wizzrobes with utterly mortified expressions. Noticing this, Vaati rolled his eyes. "Gentlemen, don't kill anything unless you have no other choice."

Knowing the reason for this decision, the Wizzrobes grumbled at the Mane Six. "Pansies," one of them muttered under its breath.

"We're wasting time!" Vaati snapped, proceeding into the quarry. "Let's go!"

The group of ponies, Wizzrobes, and Darknut followed the sorcerer down, inspecting some of the holes as they passed. "We don't want to alert them to our presence," Vaati spoke in a low, quiet tone just loud enough for his companions to hear. "This is what we do. Split up. Twilight, I want each of your friends to group up with a pair of Wizzrobes. Rainbow Dash, you'll go with a Geomancer and Aquamancer. Fluttershy, you'll go with the Aeromancer, the other Aquamancer, and another Geomancer. Applejack, you go with a Pyromancer and Geomancer. Pinkie Pie, you'll join another Pyromancer and Geomancer. Nigellas, Twilight, Spike, Maulgrim, you're with me. Enter whichever hole you see fit."

Unbeknownst to the group, one of the Diamond Dogs had been observing them and retreated before they could notice him. The party split up and began picking out holes. As Pinkie's group stopped at one hole, the Pyromancer said, "I'll go first."

"Of course you'd want to go first," the Geomancer snickered.

"Stuff it," the Pyromancer snapped.

The Fire Wizzrobe then jumped in. "Oooh, that looks like fun!" Pinkie chirped.

" _Guuuaaagh_!"

The Pyromancer was promptly ejected from the hole by a pillar of dirt, falling flat on his back. "Stupid dog," it weakly groaned.

"What in-?!" the Geomancer exclaimed as more and more holes began to instantly fill up with dirt.

"HURRY UP, YOU FOOLS!" Vaati roared, leaping towards a nearby hole, but not before it had already filled up. "Geomancers! Make yourselves useful!"

As the others tried and failed to reach different holes before they could fill up, the Geomancers cast their hands up. Maulgrim reached one hole and braced himself against his shield as he tried to push back the mound of dirt. "You! Will! Not! _Prevail_!"

Unfortunately the Darknut could not hold forever and was eventually forced back. The knight cursed in his native tongue.

The Earth Wizzrobes' black hands started to sparkle as they tried to force the dirt mounds back into the depths of the earth. Apparently the Diamond Dogs hadn't expected that, because the dirt mounds around several holes immediately gave way. "GO!" Vaati commanded.

The various groups wasted no time in leaping down the holes one after the other.

XXXXXX

Vaati tumbled down the hole first, landing on his stomach with an audible grunt. Twilight and Spike came next, landing on the mage's back. And then Maulgrim's weighty form crashed on top of them, eliciting groans of pain and agony. Laughing, Nigellas came last, sliding down and landing on top of the pile of bodies on his feet with a smug, if unseen grin. "Guess who wasn't stupid and let the big guy go first, eh?"

Vaati and Maulgrim both growled irritably before managing to disentangle themselves. Once everyone was up and tidy again, they took note of their surroundings. They were in a large chamber beneath the earth, where smaller tunnels branched off in every direction. There was no sign of the others. Twilight glanced all around. "Oh, there's so many passageways! Where do we go?!"

"Bloody Dark World, we're lost," Maulgrim growled.

Spike fell on his knees once again. " ** _NOOOOOOOO_** -!"

"Shut _up_ , Spike!" Vaati hissed, sealing the baby dragon's mouth with a spell. "If they know we got in here, we'll lose time trying to fight our way through. We don't know how many of the buggers are down here. So keep quiet, you hear?"

Spike wordlessly nodded, prompting Vaati to unseal his mouth again. "Let's get a move on," Vaati said to his group. "Now the question is, which way?"

Nigellas glanced at all their possible routes. "Your guess is as good as mine, sir."

"Wait...mine! That's it!" Spike exclaimed. "The Diamond Dogs wanted Rarity to find gems for them, right? So they must have taken her down the tunnel with the most gems! So if we can copy Rarity's gem-finding spell, we can find out where they took her!"

Twilight gasped in realization. "Spike, that's a great idea! Rarity taught me her gem-finding spell a while back. If I can just remember..."

Squeezing her eyes shut, Twilight began to focus magic through her horn. The horn then lit up with her magical aura, revealing the locations of small collections of gems throughout the expansive network of caverns. The caches seemed to be more heavily concentrated on a particular tunnel that branched off to the right. "Ya did it, Twilight!" Spike congratulated. "Now we can go save Rarity!"

"Nigellas, alert the Geomancers," Vaati curtly ordered. "Follow the tunnels where the gem deposits are most numerous."

Nigellas momentarily linked his mind with his fellow Wizzrobes' and notified them of what to do. "Don't worry, Rarity!" Spike cried as he leaped onto Twilight's back. "I'll save you!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I do wonder how the others are doing, though," she said to nobody in particular.

XXXXXX

 _Pinkie's group_...

"...and then she said, 'Oatmeal? Are you crazy?!' And I was like blahblahblahblahblahcupcakes blahblahblah..."

"Good Goddesses, does she _ever_ shut up?" the Pyromancer groaned, pressing its hands against its ears.

"I'm not even certain she _breathes_ ," the Geomancer commented, concentrating on following the vein of gems down the passageway.

"GAAAAAASP-And then I was all like, yadayadayadayada..."

"...Well then."

XXXXXX

"I'm sure they're fine," Vaati off-handedly replied. "Let's go."

XXXXXX

 _Applejack's group_...

The farmpony admittedly felt somewhat uncomfortable being flanked by the two looming Wizzrobes, but they didn't seem to pay her much mind. Their team's Geomancer was busily leading them down the passage with the highest concentration of gems, and the Pyromancer was keeping a sharp lookout for any potential ambushes. However, she was able to appreciate the fact that they were all business, devoting themselves to their goal.

Suddenly the Fire Wizzrobe's palms ignited. "Look alive! We've got company!"

The trio turned in the direction of the sound of baying hounds. From the passageway behind them emerged a small pack of Diamond Dogs, five in number. They were built like gorillas, with faces like bulldogs, short spears clasped in their paws, and their bodies protected by crude plate armor. Seeing the pair of strange, robed creatures gave them a short moment of pause.

That was all the Wizzrobes needed. The Pyromancer cast his hands up, unleashing a great tongue of searing-hot flames at the Dogs. Yelping, they ducked under the flames, their tails taking the brunt of the heat and becoming charred to a crisp. The Dogs barely had time to register this before they were pelted with rocks, some of which felt _very sharp_. The rocks let up for a moment, allowing the Diamond Dogs to get a glimpse of their foes.

The Pyromancer was surrounded by swirling flames while a collection of knife-sharp rocks hovered ominously around the Geomancer, all pointed directly at the quivering Dogs. Applejack, overwhelmed by the ferocity of her protectors' powers, huddled a short distance away from them, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. The Dogs immediately realized they were outmatched, dropped their spears, and fled back the way they came, yipping all the way. Once their terrified howls could no longer be heard, the two Wizzrobes turned back towards Applejack, who was getting to her hooves. "Boy howdy," she commented nervously. "That was really, uh...somethin'."

"We move," the Geomancer replied simply, resuming his course.

XXXXXX

 _Rainbow Dash's group_...

"So…uh, what are Aquamancers supposed to do?" Rainbow tentatively asked the blue-clad Ice Wizzrobe, hoping to strike up a conversation with the enigmatic wizards, anything to relieve the boredom.

"This world contains magic out the wazoo and you still don't know anything about it?" the Aquamancer flatly responded.

"Hey, I'm a pegasus!" Rainbow defended herself. "All that magic mumbo-jumbo's for unicorns! I'm no egghead!"

The Aquamancer rolled his eyes. "Aquamancers possess power over the element of water. But since water isn't all that much of an offensive magic, we usually stick with ice-based attacks. Read a book about magic once in your life. You might learn something."

"Reading's for eggheads," Rainbow replied.

"Who're you calling 'egghead', egg _face_?!" the Geomancer snapped, looking up from where he was tracking the gem deposits.

"Eggface?!" Rainbow snarled, flying right up to the Earth Wizzrobe's face. "Wanna say that again, chump?!"

"Before you two get too involved with pounding on each other's egos, I would like to report that we are not alone," the Aquamancer interrupted as howling and barking echoed from the passageway. " _They_ are coming."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Dramatic much?"

Soon a large pack of Diamond Dog guards emerged from the tunnel, brandishing their spears. "How fast are you, pegasus?" the Aquamancer asked.

"The fastest in Equestria!" Rainbow boasted before blinking. "Wait, why do you ask?"

"See if you can't distract them long enough for us to immobilize them."

Rainbow grinned and saluted. "You can count on me!"

The rainbow-maned pegasus zipped towards the line of Diamond Dogs, spinning around the group to disorient them and occasionally diving in to throw punches and kicks. She was way too fast for the Dogs to hit. "Well I'll be a Moblin's uncle," the Aquamancer observed. "This pony can _fight_."

One of the Dogs managed to notice the two Wizzrobes readying spells and bounded towards them, growling fiercely. Before it could reach them, however, the brown one threw its hands down. Suddenly a slab of rock shot up from beneath the Dog and knocked it senseless. Meanwhile, Rainbow, having gotten caught up in the heat of the moment, had touched down in the center of the group of disoriented Diamond Dogs and begun kicking them left and right. One of them managed to recover and jumped onto her back, wrapping a rope and harness around her. "Oh no you just didn't!" she roared, slamming it against a wall and knocking it off her.

"Hey, pegasus! Get out of there!" the Aquamancer yelled, ice energy swirling around its hands.

Seeing what was about to happen, Rainbow zoomed over to the two Wizzrobes and got behind them. With her out of the line of fire, the Ice Wizzrobe finally released the ice energy it had been stockpiling. An all-encompassing blizzard of snow and ice engulfed the entire group of Diamond Dogs, freezing them solid. When the blizzard died down, the passageway ahead was covered as far as they could see with snow, and the Dogs were trapped in ice, unable to move.

"I don't think they'll be getting out of that for a while," the Geomancer said. "Now let's be off."

As they passed the frozen ape-hounds, Rainbow gulped. "That was…really disturbing…and _really cool_ at the same time."

"I hate being an Aquamancer. The puns never stop coming."

"Huh?" Rainbow asked, confused.

"Ah come on, chill out," the Geomancer snickered.

" _Don't you even start_ ," the Aquamancer growled.

XXXXXX

Spike was busy fantasizing how he was going to single-handedly rescue Rarity as he sat on Twilight's back. He was roughly shaken from his reverie when Vaati suddenly cried, "Look out! Here they come!"

Eight Diamond Dogs came barreling out of the tunnel ahead of them. Before anyone could even blink, Maulgrim let out a thunderous war cry and unsheathed his sword. "Lowly vermin! Feel the sting of my blade as I cut you all low!"

The Diamond Dogs scattered before the ferocity of the enraged Darknut's attack, yipping in fright and confusion. His tempered blade easily cut through the crude spears of the Diamond Dogs, leaving them virtually defenseless. Those that still chose to fight without a weapon attempted to dog pile their foe, but their efforts were in vain. Maulgrim easily shook them off before following up with brutal punches and kicks, made more devastating due to his armor.

"Shouldn't we do something?!" Twilight cried, fidgeting.

"No, let Maulgrim have his fun," Vaati coolly replied, leaning against the wall.

"He's got this completely under control," Nigellas observed, watching the curbstomp battle with a look of amusement.

The Diamond Dogs had no chance from the start. Maulgrim's skill and superior weaponry easily dominated the Dogs' crude attacks, and his furious determination overwhelmed their innate cowardice. His blade swung again and again, only ever leaving small cuts, never enough to truly kill or maim. The Dogs were bruised and scarred all over, and Maulgrim was barely breaking a sweat.

Soon the real fighting was over, and all the Diamond Dogs were huddling close to each other on the ground like frightened puppies. Maulgrim stood over them, his eyes ablaze with anger. "Who wants to get put down first?" he growled, pointing his longsword at the cowering Dogs.

The Diamond Dogs collectively whimpered in terror, and Twilight couldn't help but feel sorry for them. She could tell that they weren't just terrified; _they were in fear for their lives_. "No one?" Maulgrim spoke. "Then tell me where Lady Rarity is being held, and I will spare your cowardly hides."

"R-r-right down t-t-there," one of them whimpered, pointing down the tunnel they had appeared from.

"Good. Now off with you before I change my mind!"

The Diamond Dogs immediately scurried away, yipping in frightened relief. After they were gone, Maulgrim sheathed his sword as the rest of the group approached him. "Excellent work, Maulgrim," Vaati commended. "We're almost there. Rarity should be right at the end of this tunnel."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Spike yelled, picking up the business end of half a spear. "Let's go!"

The little dragon ran down the passageway. "Spike, wait!" Twilight cried, galloping after him.

"Spike, you idiot!" Vaati yelled, following Twilight. "Stay with the group!"

Nigellas and Maulgrim wordlessly brought up the rear. After a few minutes of chasing after the eager dragon, they finally arrived at a wide chamber with dozens of other tunnels branching out from it. Spike skidded to a halt at the head of the group and struck a valiant pose. "Fear not, Rarity!" he cried. "Your knight in shining armor has come to rescue…"

Spike then took notice of the scene, and his jaw dropped in bafflement. At this moment, the various other groups appeared as well throughout the chamber, all staring agape at the unexpected scene.

Several banners of various colors were hung up along the cavernous walls. The three Diamond Dog leaders that had kidnapped Rarity before were now currently slaving away with hauling large carts piled high with gems, while many other Dog guards hastily dug away at the walls, searching frantically for more gems. And sitting on a makeshift throne, flanked by two guards fanning her with palm leaves, was Rarity, calmly sipping from a golden goblet. Vaati's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Maulgrim looked utterly baffled. The Mane Six and Spike regarded the scene with bewilderment. The Wizzrobes just stared emptily, their minds trying and failing to process what they were seeing.

The Aeromancer summed up what was on everyone's minds: "Uh…I'm confused."

Seeing the would-be rescuers gawking, the three head Diamond Dogs wearily dragged their carts over to them. "P-p-please…make her _stop_ ," the leader begged.

"I…what?" Vaati responded, his expression one of a broken mind.

"She won't stop talking!" the small one whined. "The _whining_ …it hurts us!"

"Please, take her back!" the big one pleaded, clutching his ears. "We can't stand it!"

Noticing her rescuers, Rarity finished her drink and calmly trotted over to them, the Dogs trembling in her presence. "Why hello, girls!" she greeted. "Vaati, Maulgrim, how lovely to see you again!"

"Rarity!" Spike exclaimed, hugging his long-time crush. "I'm so glad you're safe!"

"Well, why wouldn't I be?" Rarity answered. "Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I can't handle myself, after all! You arrived just in time, though."

"Uh…just in time for what?" Applejack asked.

"Why, to help me carry these gems, of course!" Rarity answered, pointing towards several carts laden with sparkling gemstones.

"You're letting her leave…with all these jewels?" Spike marveled.

"Y-y-yes, take the gems!" the lead Dog whimpered. "Take them all… _and her with them_! We'll do anything!"

The other two Dogs yelped. "Remember how we got into this mess in the first place?!" the small one cried.

Vaati's grin was terrifying. "Anything, you say?"

"Uh…uh…" the Dogs answered, shivering.

"Well, as Rarity said, we're going to need some help carrying these jewels back to Ponyville," Vaati replied. "And since I have no intention of carrying them myself, and I'm certain my Wizzrobes are in agreement with that statement, you will all carry these jewels for us to Ponyville. And then, Maulgrim here is going to teach you a little lesson about why it is _unwise_ to anger a Darknut. And as of this day forth, your entire pack now works for _me_. You will continue mining as you are, but a 20% cut of your gems will be supplied to Rarity here every week for her dresses, and another 20% sent to me as tribute. Your progress shall be constantly monitored by a detachment of Darknuts who will keep _very close_ tabs on all of you. Oh, and expect Maulgrim to teach you all proper conduct for treating ladies as well as basic hygiene. You stink like a dead Octorok. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

The Diamond Dogs collectively gulped.

XXXXXX

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_A series of events today have culminated in a most fortunate event for me. I have secured the, shall we say "services" of a local Diamond Dog pack who shall be providing Rarity and myself with a supply of gems for our usage. Rarity will use hers for her dresses, and I will exchange mine for your country's currency. I love how things work out in the end._

_As for the subject of Rarity, I find that my earliest assessments of her were wrong. She may fancy herself an aristocratic lady, (whom, in my experiences, have proven to be quite fragile and soft) but she has proven that she is more than capable of taking care of herself and is a conniving manipulator after my own heart. I should not have judged the book by its cover, even though, in an ironic twist of fate, this is exactly what I berated Twilight for a few months back. Sometimes, though, we need to be reminded of the lessons we have learned, none more so than I._

_Signed,_

_Vaati Picoru, Sorcerer of Winds_

After Princess Celestia finished reading Vaati's letter, her expression was unreadable. Luna, on the other hand, found this quite hilarious as she rolled on her throne with laughter. Wordlessly, Celestia summoned a wine bottle and a glass out of nowhere. She needed a freaking drink.


	8. Episode 8: The Return of Discord Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a thousand years' imprisonment, Discord, the Lord of Chaos, returns. But soon he is confronted by the Sorcerer of Winds, and Equestria catches its first glimpse of Vaati's true power.

**Episode 8: The Return of Discord Part 1**

_Canterlot Royal Gardens..._

Today was the Ponyville Elementary School's field trip, and Cheerilee had taken her students to Canterlot, a certain trio of fillies along for the ride. As the group of foals followed their teacher, Cheerilee said, "I want to start our field trip here, in the world-famous Canterlot Sculpture Garden!"

As they passed a statue of several smiling ponies supporting each other on their backs, Cheerilee explained, "That one represents friendship!"

Distracted by the statue, Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle ended up bumping into each other. Once their dizziness cleared, they glared at each other. "Alright, my little ponies!" Cheerilee called, indicating a statue of a pony holding up a flag. "This statue represents victory!"

"How cool would it be to have that for a Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked.

"Cooool," Applebloom sarcastically remarked, "if you were actually 'victoryful' at somethin'."

"That's not a word!" Sweetie Belle complained.

"What are you, a dictionary?" Scootaloo retorted.

"Girls!" Cheerilee sternly interrupted, catching their attention as she pointed to another, rather peculiar statue of a chimera-like creature posing as if it were singing an opera. "Now _this_ is a really interesting statue. What do you notice about it?"

"It's got an eagle claw!" Applebloom observed.

"And a lion's paw!" Scootaloo added.

"And a snake tail!" Sweetie Belle finished, jumping in front of Scootaloo much to her friend's chagrin.

"This creature is called a draconequus," Cheerilee explained. "He has the head of a pony, and a body made up of all sorts of different things! What do you suppose that represents?"

"Confusion!" Applebloom said.

Sweetie Belle pushed her aside. "Evil!"

Scootaloo shoved Sweetie Belle aside. "Chaos!"

"It's not chaos, you dodo!" Sweetie Belle snapped.

"Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of!" Scootaloo warned. "It is too chaos!"

"No it's not!" Sweetie Belle retorted, butting heads with Scootaloo.

"You're both wrong!" Applebloom interrupted.

Instantly a fight broke out amongst the three usually-inseparable friends while the other foals looked on in amusement. Hoping to calm them down, Cheerilee trotted up to them. "Actually, in a way you're _all_ right."

The fillies finally quit fighting and looked up at her. "This statue represents Discord, which means a lack of harmony between ponies. In fact, you three have demonstrated discord so well that you're each going to write me a three-page essay explaining it."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders hung their heads in shame as the other foals chuckled. "Now let's go," Cheerilee bade, leading the class on. "And I don't want anymore fighting."

The Crusaders hung at the back of the group, continuing to argue about the meaning of discord. Unbeknownst to all, the strange statue began to crack, as if something were attempting to force its way out. A quiet, menacing laugh escaped the statue's frozen mouth.

XXXXXX

 _Skies above Ponyville, a short distance from the Palace of Winds_...

"Hey! Get back here!" Rainbow Dash yelled in frustration as she chased after a renegade cloud that, for some strange reason, was pink.

She tackled the pink cloud and spun through the air for a moment before she managed to level herself. The cloud's contents were sticking all over Rainbow's coat. "Eww, what is this?!" she demanded before tentatively licking the stuff."Cotton...candy?"

Suddenly many more of the strange clouds of cotton candy began zipping through the air, some of them splattering straight into the walls of the Palace of Winds. Oh, Vaati was not going to like that one bit. One cloud suddenly hovered over her, a clap of thunder echoing from within. A drop of brown liquid fell on Rainbow's head. "Wait a second!" she yelled. "It's not supposed to rain until tomorrow! You can't just-!"

The cloud immediately dumped its chocolate brown contents all over the beleagered pegasus. "You did."

XXXXXX

Applejack was busy picking ears of corn when she suddenly heard Rainbow yelling as she chased after another rogue cloud, which was already starting to pour rain all over the cornfield. "Rainbow Dash, what's with all the rain?" she demanded. "I mean chocolate milk?...I mean, chocolate milk rain?!"

"There's crazy weather all over Equestria!" Rainbow cried. "Cloudsdale's gettin' soaked by a soda storm right now, but don't worry! I'm not leaving you until I've got control of Ponyville!"

Suddenly all of Applejack's corn cobs inexplicably turned into freshly-popped popcorn.

"Why would you want to stop this?" Pinkie Pie asked as she dove through the sea of chocolate milk-soaked popcorn and feasting to her heart's content.

"BECAUSE IT'S GETTING ALL OVER MY CLOTHES!" Vaati angrily roared as he tried to outrun a raining cloud that was currently chasing after him. "I'm soaked and sticky AND I WANT TO UTTERLY DESTROY WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE!"

Suddenly Rarity appeared as well, clothed in a heavy raincoat and protected by a fancy umbrella. "Ahem," she spoke to Applejack. "I heard about your troubles, Applejack, and I came to see if there's anything I can do. Without getting wet. Or dirty. Or out from my umbre-oh!" she squealed in shock as Vaati swiped the umbrella out of her possession and took off with it.

"Begone, you unnatural weather phenomena!" he cried, still being pursued by a cotton candy cloud.

"Vaati!" Rarity yelled as she felt herself getting soaked in chocolate milk. "Oh, the nerve of that ruffian!"

And then the apples on Applejack's trees suddenly grew to the size of watermelons, causing the trees to sag over from the added weight. The apples were immediately set upon by a horde of squirrels. "Fluttershy, do something!" Applejack begged.

Fluttershy flew up to her ravenous pet bunny, who was busily gnawing on one of the apples. "Now Angel, you know you-!"

Suddenly Angel's legs grew so long he looked like a cross between a rabbit and a giraffe. Fluttershy gasped in shock as more and more bunnies fell victim to this body horror. "No! T-that's impossible! I-I-I must be seeing things!"

"Twilight, you better know how to fix this!" Vaati roared as the librarian and Spike entered the scene, Twilight reading a spellbook very carefully.

"Don't worry, everyone!" she said. "I've learned a new spell that will fix everything!"

"Can I hear a 'Mary Sue'?" a nearby Wizzrobe commented to another as they held up their hats to ward off the chocolate rain.

Twilight's horn began to glow brilliantly as she gathered her magical energy. Then a wave of light engulfed the chaotic scene. Twilight opened her eyes to marvel at her handiwork...

Only to discover that nothing had changed.

"My failsafe spell...failed!" Twilight exclaimed. "What do we do?!"

"Uh...give up?" Spike weakly suggested.

"We need a Plan B," Twilight spoke. "Rainbow, can you corral all those clouds in one corner of the sky?"

Rainbow Dash managed to free herself from the knot of rabbit-giraffes eating the cotton candy stuck to her body and saluted, zooming off to fulfill her duty. "Applejack, I need you to bring those high-strung clouds down to earth!" Twilight ordered.

After Rainbow had forced all the smaller clouds into a single big one, Applejack lassoed the huge mass and pulled it down towards earth, squeezing the excess chocolate milk out of it. Pinkie, who had been guzzling down the rain, complained, "Hey! What happened?!"

Twilight whispered the final phase of her plan in Fluttershy's ear. "Oh, dear!" Fluttershy said out loud. "I hope that none of the animals see these delicious chocolate milk-filled cotton candy clouds! I'd hate to have to share them!"

"You and me both, sister!" Pinkie agreed, munching on the cloud before getting knocked aside by a horde of hungry animals. "Hey!"

"And when you're all done with that, feel free to have some popcorn for dessert!" Applejack said.

"It's going to take forever to get these bloody stains out," Vaati growled, squeezing out his cape. "When I find out who caused this, there will be Tartarus to pay!"

"At least we got it all taken care of," Twilight said. "And that, Spike, is why you should never give up! There's nothing we can't overcome if we work together!"

At that moment, Spike belched out fire, which condensed into a letter. Twilight levitated the letter up and read it, eliciting a gasp as she finished. "C'mon, everypony! Princess Celestia wants to see us all in Canterlot immediately!"

"Not before I get my clothes cleaned, thank you very much," Vaati responded.

XXXXXX

 _Canterlot Castle_...

Princess Celestia nervously paced the grand hall, thinking on the situation. Then she heard the door creak open, and the Mane Six and Vaati hurriedly entered. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight greeted. "We came as fast as we could!"

"Thank you, Twilight," Celestia answered. "Thank you all."

"What in the bloody blue blazes is going on out there, Princess?!" Vaati demanded. "Clouds are raining chocolate milk, the animals' bodies are being twisted out of proportion, and I demand to know the reasons for this madness!"

"Follow me," Celestia ordered, her tone unusually serious as she led the group down a hall with various stained-glass windows depicting events in Equestrian history. "I've called you all here for a matter of great importance. It seems that an old foe of mine, someone I thought I had defeated long ago, has returned. His name...is Discord."

"Discord?" Vaati interrupted, folding his arms. "As in, 'spirit of chaos' Discord? Bane of Harmony and Lord of Misfortune?"

The Mane Six seemed surprised that Vaati knew about the spirit, but considering how Vaati had read every single book in the library, a feat even Twilight had yet to complete, it wasn't too much of a surprise. Celestia nodded. "The very same. Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness. Luna and I saw how miserable it was for Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike, so after we discovered the Elements of Harmony, we combined our powers and rose up against him, turning him to stone!"

"Obviously you did something wrong if he's here now," Vaati irritably replied.

"Vaati!" Twilight chided.

"Yes, I thought the spell I cast would contain him forever, but since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell has been broken!"

"No longer connected?" Twilight repeated, confused.

At that moment the group reached an ornate door. "This is Canterlot Tower, where the Elements are kept inside since all of you recovered them," Celestia explained. "I need you to wield the Elements once again, and stop Discord before he thrusts Equestria into eternal chaos! Vaati, they may need your help as well!"

"Oh please, Princess," Vaati scoffed. "I've read enough about Discord to know that he's nothing special compared to myself and others of my calibur in my world. Ganon, for instance, made things a lot worse for everyone than Discord did. Tell me where he is, Celestia; I intend to make him wish he'd never been born."

"Hey, look!" Pinkie cried, pointing at one of the stained-glass windows. "We're famous!"

The statue depicted the Mane Six purging Luna of Nightmare Moon's influence.

"You six showed the full potential of the Elements by utilizing the magic of your friendship to beat a mighty foe! Although Luna and I once wielded the Elements, it is you who now control their power, and it is you who must defeat Discord!"

"I humbly protest," Vaati flatly rebuked. "You should at least give me a proper chance to demonstrate to Discord what real power is."

Celestia shook her head. "Discord is the one of the mightiest foes I have encountered. It wasn't until Luna and I discovered the Elements that we even knew we had a chance against him."

"Ah, and therein lies my argument," Vaati answered smugly. "I am not without my own source of power, after all."

Celestia raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "As it so happens, a vast amount of my magical might is due to having absorbed an ancient relic of pure light long ago when I first rose to power called the Light Force. Coupled with the power of a hat that could grant wishes, I was nearly unstoppable. I still possess _all_ of that power, Celestia. Allow me to use it against him."

Celestia considered this for a long moment. "If you truly wish to face him yourself...you may. But we may still need the Elements to ensure he does not rise again."

Celestia then inserted her horn into a hole in the door and cast a spell. The door was then engulfed by light before it opened, revealing a beautifully carved chest sitting on a pedestal. Seeing it, Rarity said, "You can keep the Elements! I'll take that case!"

"Have no fear, everyone," Celestia assured them, levitating the box up. "I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord with these."

Celestia then opened the box, eliciting gasps from the Mane Six. It was empty. "That...doesn't bode well, does it?" Vaati rhetorically asked.

Celestia dropped the empty case in shock, and for several tense moments, silence reigned. And then Pinkie, predictably, broke it. "Oh well! If anyone needs me, I'll be outside in the chocolate puddles with a swimming straw!"

"Pinkie, get back here," Vaati gruffly ordered.

"B-but, I don't understand!" Twilight cried. "The Elements are gone! What happened to them?!"

"That chamber is protected by a spell that only I can break!" Celestia exclaimed, pacing frantically. "This doesn't make sense!"

" _Oh ho ho ho ho ho! Make sense? Oh, where's the fun in making sense_?"

Vaati immediately surrounded himself with energy, ready to cast devastation. "Discord!" Celestia cried. "Show yourself!"

" _Oh ho ho ho ho! Hm hm hm hm! Did you miss me, Celestia_?" Suddenly, one of the stained-glass depictions of Discord came to life, animated by the chaotic spirit. " _I missed you. It's quite lonely, being encased in stone, but you wouldn't know that, would you? Because I don't turn ponies into stone_!"

"Enough!" Celestia shouted. "What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?!"

" _Oh, I just borrowed them for a teensy little while_ ," Discord answered nonchalantly.

"You won't get away with this, Discord," Celestia vowed, pawing at the ground.

" _Ah yes, I forgot how grim you can be, Celestia. It's really quite boring_."

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Nopony insults the Princess!"

The pegasus then stupidly flew into the window, hoping to hit Discord, but all she succeeded at was bruising her body. " _Oh, you must be Rainbow Dash_ ," Discord observed. " _Famed for her loyalty, the Element of Harmony you represent_."

"That's right! I'll always be loyal to the Princess!"

Discord flashed out of view. " _We'll see about that_."

"I can't believe we're wasting our time talking to a tacky window," Rarity snobbishly remarked, causing Discord to appear in the window right next to her.

" _Beautiful Rarity! Bearer of the Element of Generosity, if I'm not mistaken_."

"Okay, so you know who we are, big deal," Applejack interrupted.

" _Oh, I know much more than that, Honest Applejack_."

"And you seem to know our strengths too," Twilight said suspiciously.

" _Ah yes, Twilight Sparkle. Yours is the most powerful and elusive Element, Magic_. _Fluttershy's is Kindness, and Pinkie Pie's is a personal favorite of mine, Laughter_."

Pinkie was struggling to contain her laughter. "Pinkie!" Twilight chastised.

Pinkie then burst out laughing. "He's standing on your head!"

Discord was apparently break-dancing on Twilight's depiction in the window, chuckling to himself. "Stop stalling, Discord!" Celestia demanded. "What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?"

"Augh, so boring, Celestia, really. Fine, I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you my way."

Discord then loomed over the entire chamber through the windows. "To retrieve your precious elements, just make sense of these chains of events," he intoned in rhyme. "Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the Elements back where you began."

With that, the glass Discord returned to its place as the spirit of disharmony left it, his echoing laughter ringing in their eardrums. Vaati reluctantly dissipated his magic now that his adversary was gone and went silent. "C-can we go home now?" Fluttershy timidly asked.

"What do ya suppose he meant by all that?" Applejack asked. "Twists 'n turns and endin' up back where we started?"

"Hmm, twists and turns," Twilight said, pacing towards one of the clearer windows. "Twists and turns..."

She looked down at the Maze Garden below and was suddenly struck by an idea. "Twists and turns! That's it! I bet Discord hid the Elements in the Palace Labyrinth!"

"Not so fast there, Twilight," Vaati curtly interrupted.

"Huh?" Twilight asked the mage, confused. "What is it?"

Vaati shot a condescending glare at her. "Really Twilight, if you'd take more than two seconds to consider this riddle, things would be more obvious. Twists and turns are his _master plan_. He _wants_ us to go in there. That leads me to believe all that's there in that labyrinth is a trap waiting to be sprung."

"Well then, whaddaya think he meant by findin' the Elements back where we started?" Applejack asked.

Vaati tapped his chin. "Back where we began...where we began...Wait! That's it! I know where he's taken them!"

"Where?!" everypony simultaneously asked.

"They're somewhere in Ponyville, of that I'm sure. You'll have to find them with all due haste."

Vaati then headed for the door. "Wh-what about you?!" Twilight asked. "Where are you going?!"

"To find Discord," Vaati replied ominously, glancing over his shoulder. "Get to Ponyville now."

"Good luck, everyone!" Celestia said. "The fate of Equestria rests on your shoulders."

XXXXXX

Vaati approached the entrance to the palace labyrinth, his body tense and his fingers twitching. It had been ages since he had had a good fight, and he truthfully relished the opportunity to lay low this supposed 'god of chaos'. Suddenly he saw a ball of light shining in front of him. The ball's grow brightened in intensity, and Vaati braced himself for an attack. When the light diminished, a strange creature laughed triumphantly before him. It had a long, serpentine body, and many mismatched body parts. A goat and antler horn, a lion's paw and an eagle talon for hands, a bat wing and a pegasus wing, and a goat and dragon leg. Vaati quirked an unimpressed eyebrow. "So you are Discord, I take it?" he asked.

Discord ceased laughing and bowed grandly. "The one and only! And you must be Vaati the Wind Mage."

"So you know my name too," Vaati observed.

"Really, you all act like I don't have ears," Discord flatly stated. "Of course I already knew everything about your so-called friends, but _you_ , Vaati...you are an enigma. You've revealed much about yourself, and I still know very little about you. You _fascinate_ me, sorcerer."

"Get in line," Vaati replied, smirking. "I keep many secrets for a reason, Discord."

The draconequus slithered around the tense sorcerer, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You'll make things quite interesting, Vaati. You have no horn, yet you possess magical prowess on a level that surpasses the Element of Magic herself. This will change the rules of our game quite a bit."

"Game?" Vaati repeated. "What game?"

"Why, the game you're going to play against me!" Discord grinned. "Or actually, the _Elements_ were supposed to play it. No wings, no magic, no leaving. You make things rather difficult for me, since you have no wings or horn for me to take away."

"If we're going to be playing games, we do it on _my_ terms," Vaati responded, an evil glint in his eye. "I have the perfect game in mind, one I think will be perfectly suited for us both."

Discord quirked a bushy eyebrow in curiosity. "Oh?"

"Hide and seek. You hide, and I seek. If I cannot find you in ten minutes, you win. Whoever wins gets to do whatever they want to the other. I only have two rules; no leaving the maze, and no turning yourself invisible. Will you play?"

So confident was he that he could outwit this egotistical sorcerer that Discord readily accepted. "Then let the game begin!" he cackled, disappearing in a flash.

Smirking fiendishly, Vaati stepped into the maze and conjured an invisible Eye Sentry. " _Find him_ ," he whispered.

The Sentry nodded and took to the air, scanning the maze for any sign of the draconequus. It wasn't long before it spotted Discord sitting in the middle of a square patch, with hedgerows on all sides making it appear as if each path to it led to a dead end. He had also set it up that the paths in the labyrinth would randomly change to further confuse the sorcerer. Not that it would help him, though. Vaati grinned savagely. "There you are."

Discord had just leaned back to relax when he heard the sorcerer's voice uncomfortably close by. " _Found you_."

Discord blinked as he saw Vaati standing on top of the hedgerow above him, an evil grin on his face. "You lose, Discord."

Vaati snapped his fingers, mocking Discord's _modus operandi_ , causing the entire maze to burst into flame. The sorcerer vanished before the flames could consume him. Discord, caught off guard by the suddenness of Vaati's appearance, coughed and gagged as he breathed in the smoke for several moments before he teleported himself out of the burning maze. Discord hunched over, coughing profusely as his lungs cleared. Just as he recovered, he felt Vaati's presence behind him. Without turning around, Discord said, "Well, you won, and you got to give my poor lungs some trouble. That was fun, if abrupt, but now I must be on my way. I've got chaos to wreak, after all."

" _Think again_."

Discord stopped cold at the sorcerer's altered voice. It was louder and possessed an echoing quality. It almost sounded... _demonic_. Discord slowly turned around...

And for the first time in an eternity, Discord felt true fear.

Looming menacingly over the spirit of disharmony was a gigantic orb of darkness adorned with a pair of golden horns. Two pairs of bat-like wings kept it aloft in the air. A single eye with a blood-red pupil, trimmed with gold, glared at Discord, a gaze speaking volumes of the power and menace this beast held at its command. Two arms tipped with razor-sharp, golden claws reached towards the terrified, speechless draconequus. The wind whipped around the two monsters, and lightning flashed in the background, accompanied by rolling thunder, bathing the horrifying creature in a hellish glow.

From afar, Celestia watched the beast emerge with a look of astonishment and dread. This was the sorcerer at his most powerful. She had sorely underestimated Vaati's power. And it seemed Discord had to, for he was too shocked to defend himself.

A gilded claw suddenly lashed out, latching onto Discord. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Vaati's Wrath unleashed its bloodlust. The winged eye swung Discord over its body and slammed him against the ground with crushing force. The blow was enough to knock the wind out of Discord and disorient him. But Vaati was not finished. Again and again he smashed Discord into the hard ground, and the draconequus's bones were starting to weaken from the relentless assault.

Vaati then brought the groaning draconequus close up to his face, and energy began to collect between his horns. Suddenly Discord was struck again and again in the face with a series of energy balls shot in rapid succession. Discord yelped in pain with each hit, the sound almost _melodious_ to Vaati's ears. Then he seized Discord by the tail and slammed him into the ground some more, the sounds of bones cracking audible. With each brutal collision, Discord's inner organs began to strain as well. His whole body inside and out was wracked with unfathomable agony. Then Vaati let go, glaring down at the twitching spirit. Then that eye began to glow red.

Discord's bloodcurdling scream of agony was enough to bring Celestia to her knees, unable to look any longer as a beam of intense light burst forth from Vaati's eye, hitting the weakened draconequus full-force. The beam was so intense it pushed Discord across the ground as it gouged a deep, sizzling cut in the earth. When the beam dissipated, Vaati flew over to Discord's prone form and laughed, a deep-throated, pitiless laugh as he looked down upon the creature Equestria was believed to be its greatest evil. Discord's limbs and wings were each twisted in awkward positions. He couldn't move. He could barely breathe. He was barely _alive_. The spirit's eyes watered from the pain and terror he felt. He was going to die. He was _actually_ going to die.

"P-p-pl...ease..." Discord moaned weakly, starting to cry. "D...don't..."

XXXXXX

At that moment, Twilight and her friends arrived on the scene, Elements at the ready. "I can't believe he hid them in the library!" Rarity said.

"It's a good thing we found them so quick...ly..." Twilight began to say.

That was when the girls took in the destruction around them. The palace labyrinth was ablaze, and a huge gouge ran across the courtyard. At the very end of the gouge, Twilight saw something that made her heart stop. A menacing, winged eyeball was glaring cruelly down at Discord, who lay bleeding and broken on the ground, barely alive. "W-w-what the hay is that thing?!" Rainbow Dash gasped.

" _Now do you realize the power I wield, creature of chaos_?!" the winged demon snarled, its voice sounding unsettlingly familiar to the Mane Six.

Applejack's jaw dropped. "No...that...that _can't_ be him..."

"V-V-Vaati?" Twilight timidly asked, her voice lost in the howling winds and roaring thunder.

" _Do you at last understand what it means to face the Wind Mage Vaati_?!" the sorcerer-turned-demon bellowed. " _You are nothing, NOTHING to me! You, who fancied yourself a god of a concept that, by its very nature, is answerable to no one! The gods of creation didn't even put any thought into making you, did they? They just threw together what they had left! You're no god, pathetic creature! Never again will you threaten Equestria_!"

Rainbow gasped in horror. "Oh gods...he's gonna kill him."

At that moment, Discord and Twilight's eyes met. There was no more wicked mirth in those eyes, no more smug confidence. There was only pain and fear, fear of death. Twilight could not just stand there and let him suffer.

The winged eye raised a claw, ready to finish off the conquered draconequus. " _May the afterlife hold no peace for you_ ," he growled.

"Vaati! Vaati, stop!"

The great demon paused as Twilight, wearing a golden tiara, got between him and Discord. "Please stop this!" she begged, tears flowing down her face. "Please...no more. No more...I don't like you like this!"

Vaati glared down at Twilight. " _Move_ ," he commanded coldly.

Twilight fervently shook her head. "I can't...I won't. This isn't like you, Vaati! You're not a bloodthirsty monster anymore, remember?! Please don't kill him, Vaati...please..."

There was no sound save for the rolling thunder and crackling fire as the tiny pony stood up defiantly to a beast spawned of a pony's worst nightmares. Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the great demon backed away. " _Very well_ ," he spoke.

Then, before everypony's eyes, the demon eye transformed back into the familiar sorcerer, whose spiteful gaze was still centered on Discord. "Do what you will with him," he said, his voice devoid of emotion as he turned around and walked away.

Slowly, the Mane Six edged closer to where Discord lay. Their gaze betrayed no anger, no hatred, only pity and concern. Their voices were muffled, and his vision was starting to go fuzzy. Fluttershy timidly flew towards him. But the world of consciousness would not allow him to see what she planned to do to him, and before she reached him, Discord's mind slipped into darkness without dreams.

XXXXXX

 _Canterlot Castle, hospital wing_ …

The Mane Six and Princess Celestia all waited with bated breath outside the room where Discord was being treated for his wounds. Each of their faces was laced with worry; even though Discord was supposed to be their enemy, they hadn't even gotten a chance to face him in person and so bore no active hostility towards him. But it wasn't just Discord's condition that had them all worried; it was what had put him there in the first place.

Twilight could still vividly remember the terrifying monster Vaati had become. She had never once seen something so utterly terrifying in her life, and she had gotten in its path to stop it from killing Discord. That single eye that burned with unfathomable malice and hatred, those huge claws that could have easily torn her to shreds, all of these things were forever burned into Twilight's mind. It was unimaginable that Vaati could transform into such a hideous shape.

Twilight found herself thinking back to when Trixie had come to town and challenged Vaati to a magic duel after the sorcerer berated her for the lies he had known she was spouting. The duel had apparently been very one-sided, and Trixie had been very shaken by the encounter. She had mentioned the whipping winds and a horrid eye. Had this been the form Vaati used to intimidate her into submission?

Twilight was brought out of her thoughts as the medic opened the door to Discord's room and stepped out. "How is he, doctor?" Celestia asked.

"For the moment, his condition is stable," the doctor explained. "But he took a real beating. Nearly every bone in his body is broken, and there was some internal bleeding we had to stop before we could get him stable. At the moment, he's under heavy sedatives, so you can't talk to him right now. You'll have to wait until it wears off."

The doctor took off his glasses with his magic and rubbed his eyes. "It's unbelievable, really," he said almost to himself. "Discord was one of the greatest threats in Equestria's history, and in moments that sorcerer beat him within an inch of his life. It frightens me to think about what else Vaati is capable of."

Choosing to avoid the subject of the mage, Fluttershy asked, "I-is he g-going t-to…die?"

The doctor sighed. "I really don't know yet. His wounds are severe. The punishment his body took would have instantly killed anypony else. At this moment, it could go either way. Even with advanced healing spells, it could take months to heal all his injuries, and it would be a complicated process. The body of a draconequus is not the same as a pony's after all."

"As wounded as he is, though, he might still be a threat," Twilight observed.

"That's why he's under the sedative for right now," the doctor explained. "So we have plenty of time to figure out what to do with him."

"Can't we just turn him back to stone?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The doctor shook his head. "To do that would be a death sentence for him in his current state."

Rainbow gulped at the implications. "Nonetheless, Twilight is right," Celestia said. "Discord possesses many magical abilities that surpass even my own. Even now, I'm fairly certain the only reason Vaati was able to defeat him like that was because he took Discord by surprise with that…transformation of his. If you'll just allow me in there for a short moment…" She trailed off.

"Alright, Princess," the doctor capitulated. "Go ahead. But the rest of you will stay out here."

They all nodded as Celestia entered Discord's room. When the Princess of the Sun looked down upon the unconscious form of the heavily-bandaged draconequus, she could not help but feel a stirring of emotions. She found herself pitying the poor creature. Discord had been responsible for a great deal of unrest in the past, but he did not deserve to be as brutally beaten as he was. She had never before seen Discord look so weak, so _vulnerable_ , that it came as a slight shock to her.

Many old memories began to surface in her mind as she approached Discord's bedside. She could remember the time long before their conflict, before Nightmare Moon, before any of the tragic events that Celestia mourned for every day of her life. Discord had been a friend to her and Luna. No, more like a brother.

Shaking her head, Celestia pushed these painful memories aside as she looked Discord over. His entire body was in a cast, and his head was wrapped in numerous bandages. Numerous wires were attached to his body that fed into life support machines which beeped in a steady rhythm. She knew what she had to do. The princess lowered her head as her horn began to glow. Slowly, so that she would not inadvertently send his already-frail body into shock, Celestia began to draw the magic out of Discord's body in order to take away his immense powers.

Despite Discord's current state, Celestia knew that once he awoke, he might try to escape or retaliate and would not only hurt himself further, but might hurt somepony else too, and she wasn't about to let that happen. After nearly ten minutes of slowly draining the magic from Discord's body, Celestia finally deactivated her spell and stood up straight before walking out of the room, where the Mane Six was waiting. "How is he, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"More vulnerable than I've ever seen him," Celestia truthfully admitted. "But I have eliminated him as a threat for now. I have taken away his magical powers so that he can't hurt anyone when he wakes up."

"Well that's certainly a relief," Rarity replied.

"I think it would also be best if you stayed in Canterlot for a little while so that we have the Elements on hand should Discord become violent," Celestia added. "I will set up arrangements for you all to stay at the castle for a few weeks while we wait for Discord to recover somewhat."

"What about Vaati, Yer Highness?" Applejack asked. "Speakin' of which, Ah haven't seen him since he tore Discord a new one."

"Vaati is still somewhere around the castle, I'm certain," Celestia replied. "However, I think it would be best if we leave him alone for the time being. He will stay as well. I have a feeling he will be instrumental in what I have planned."

"Uh…planned?" Twilight repeated, confused.

Celestia sighed. "A long time ago, Discord was a friend to my sister and I. He was like a brother to us both before his desire for power consumed him and drove him mad. To be truthful, when we used the Elements against him, we had been hoping they would restore him to his former self. But it seemed he had already been too far gone. I've missed him a little, and…oh, I know this is foolish of me…but I want the Discord I knew so long ago back."

"You want to reform him, Princess?" Twilight asked.

Celestia nodded. "His powers could have many benefits for Equestria were he not so irresponsible and careless with them. I just hope that, given enough time, he could see the error of his ways."

"How do you plan to do that?" Twilight inquired.

Celestia smiled faintly. "With your help, of course."

"Our help?"

"You six represent the very elements of friendship, our strongest magic. You defeated Nightmare Moon and returned my sister to me, and you planted the seeds of friendship in the heart of one who was not quite so different from Discord."

Twilight hung her head. "I'm not sure those lessons were entirely successful anymore, Princess."

"While it is true that Vaati displayed a frightening level of power and nearly lost himself in his rage, think about this. When you confronted him at the height of his rage, he backed down, did he not?"

"Well…yeah, but…"

"That, in and of itself, proves how much he values your friendship, even if he himself won't admit it. He was able to contain the monster within himself and spare Discord because you're his friend. I know nopony else who would be better suited to teach Discord those same values."

Twilight and her friends frowned as they all considered this development. Finally Twilight looked up at her mentor and smiled. "You can count on us, Princess Celestia! We won't let you down!"

 **To Be Continued** …


	9. Episode 9: The Return of Discord Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beaten within an inch of his life by Vaati, Discord recuperates while the Mane Six and Celestia discuss what to do with him. However, Vaati does not feel that Discord should be allowed to survive, and takes matters into his own hands.

**Episode 9: The Return of Discord Part 2**

 

Vaati stood in the Canterlot Castle Gardens with his arms folded, watching as the sun set and the moon rose into the night sky. The sight was indeed beautiful, but Vaati was too mentally preoccupied to appreciate. The only thing on his mind right now was the mismatched creature he had brought terrifyingly close to death. He was rather curious about what Princess Celestia would do with Discord now that he was weak and vulnerable. Considering that she had taken part in ushering in the night, maybe she had already finished with him. Vaati inwardly scoffed; Discord wasn't nearly as mighty as Equestrian history and Celestia had made him out to be.

Nevertheless, something really rankled him at the moment. His mind returned to the aftermath of his admittedly anti-climactic showdown with the god of chaos, when Twilight had stepped between him and his prey. She would not move. He could have _easily_ swatted her aside like a fly and finished off Discord. Yet he didn't. He actually _relented_. Why?

Because the thought of hurting Twilight actually did not appeal to him. Because she was his _friend_. Goddesses, he really had become too soft for his own good.

"Wind Mage Vaati!" a voice gruffly announced.

The sorcerer blinked before turning around and seeing one of the Solar Guards trotting up to him. "What?" he responded in kind.

"Princess Celestia requests your presence in the Throne Room at once before she retires for the night."

"Hmph, probably to congratulate me for removing Discord as a threat before he could even get a chance to menace this country properly," Vaati scoffed.

The guard trotted off, ready to end his shift as the sorcerer followed after, continuing to talk to himself. "Perhaps she'll honor me with my own window. Ha, imagine that; a stained-glass window portraying me as the hero."

XXXXXX

Princess Celestia sat on her throne, awaiting the sorcerer. Many questions swirled around in her head, many of them pertaining to the monstrous form he took in the grossly one-sided battle with Discord. Finally she heard the doors creak open as her guards allowed Vaati into the room. The mage's gait had a notable spring to it; the release he had gained from finally getting to unleash his full power after so long had not quite worn off yet. "You wished to see me, Princess?" he asked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes. I summoned you because I wanted to congratulate you on defeating Discord before he had a chance to spread his chaos. However, I also have many questions for you to answer, as well as something you must know concerning Discord."

Vaati's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Now, Vaati. I bore witness to your transformation, and it has raised many concerns for me. You must tell me everything about yourself, about your powers, your history, and everything you are capable of. I cannot allow you to shroud your past in secrecy any longer. I must know everything."

"...Do you believe me to be a threat, Celestia?" Vaati asked, a dangerous glint in his eye.

"I truly do not know," Celestia answered. "I would like to think not, though. That said, I want answers."

Vaati stared hard at her. "Princess, with all due respect, there are many reasons I don't like revisiting my past and retelling it to those who have no business knowing it."

"Luna knows," Celestia answered. "She knows many things about your past, but because you swore her to secrecy when you caught her wandering your dreams, she has told me little."

"...I wouldn't have revealed it to her if she hadn't discovered it on her own. Celestia, you fail to understand. _I don't want to talk about my past_. I don't, okay? _Ever_. Period."

Celestia pursed her lips in disappointment. "...Alright. If you truly wish to maintain some privacy, then only tell me how you came about having the ability to transform into that... _thing_."

Vaati considered this for several moments before he sighed. "As I said before, I gained power by taking control of a magic cap that could grant wishes. I wished to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and my wish was granted. But then I heard of the Light Force and immediately coveted it. I actually succeeded in gaining most of it, and the combination of the two made me virtually unstoppable. Naturally, my methods eventually drew the attention of the Hero, and through a _very fortunate_ stroke of luck, he was able to defeat me. In my battles with his reincarnations, I always took that form, as it is built for offense. You saw what it was capable of."

Celestia kept an even expression as she considered Vaati's words. "I did. And now I must ask; why did you pursue such power?"

"Your question shall remain unanswered."

"I don't think so," Celestia responded sternly. "You are allowed to live here in Equestria on my good graces. I am not going to tolerate you keeping secrets from me that could endanger my subjects were I to remain ignorant. I don't care how high and mighty you think you are, you will tell me what I want to know if you don't wish to spend a week in the dungeons!"

"I don't know what you're thinking, Princess," Vaati snarled angrily, balling his fists. "But I am not afraid of you! If you continue to threaten me in such a manner, then we _will_ have a problem!"

"If you continue to show disrespect towards me and my authority, then we will indeed have a problem," Celestia calmly shot back, though anger was clearly evident in her eyes. "You forget; _I_ rule over Equestria. _You_ are a subject of this land, and are therefore subject to _my_ laws and reign. You are not above my authority, Vaati Picoru! Do you understand?"

Vaati's eye twitched as his scowl deepened. It would be so easy to wipe that glare right off her face. His transformation would only take seconds; he could reduce her to a greasy smudge on the floor before she even knew what was happening. But the mage suddenly stopped himself. What would that achieve in the end? His actions would brand him an enemy and a traitor, just as he had been back in Hyrule. He would once again be a monster, an evil fiend to be hunted, feared, and hated by all. And perhaps the most gut-wrenching thing of all: he would lose his first true friend.

Celestia noticed a sudden change come over the sorcerer. His once-furious gaze lost focus and his expression became pained and troubled. His legs buckled slightly as if he suddenly felt weakened. The Sun Princess knew she had finally gotten through to him, but her words seemed to have shaken him more than she anticipated. But now was not the time to dwell on that. "Now, tell me, Sorcerer of Winds. Why did you pursue that power?"

Vaati began fidgeting uncontrollably, fighting his emotions. "Because...without it...I was...I was _nothing_ ," he finally spoke, struggling to keep his voice even.

"Explain," Celestia commanded.

Vaati glared at the Princess. "I wanted to _be_ something, you daft fool. I was born nothing, I was raised as nothing, and I lived as nothing! Your stupid subjects cling to your fanciful ideas of friendship for all to share, but guess what?! I never had any of that in my life! I had no family to love me, for my mother gave her life to bring me into the world, and no one even knew who my father was. I had no friends; I made a better punching bag for the local bullies. I had no one to look after me; I spent eight whole years of my life in a decrepit orphanage and two more as a servant for an oafish old coot who promised me magical studies but gave me only chores. Until I stole that idiot's wish-granting cap, I was _nothing_ , to _anyone_! A life of infamy was better than a life lacking worth! Anything else you want to know, _Princess_?!"

Celestia was silent for many long moments, taking in the sorcerer's countenance. She could tell he was struggling to contain his emotions, for his breathing was starting to become heavy and his eyes were starting to water. He was clearly distraught; perhaps the news about Discord could wait until tomorrow. "No," she finally answered. "That will be all. If you wish to rest, I have set up a room for you to stay during the night."

"No. I am returning to the Palace of Winds. Good _night_ ," he spat.

Before Celestia could even protest, Vaati teleported away, leaving the alicorn princess all alone in the throne room as she groaned in frustration. At that moment, a midnight-blue alicorn trotted into the room, a black crown nestled in her lavender mane, which was just beginning to attain a spectral, night sky-ish appearance. "I heard thy exchange with the Sorcerer of Winds," Princess Luna said, catching her sister's attention.

Celestia sighed. "He is such an enigma. He possesses power the likes of which I've never seen before. I have suspected that he was a rather villainous character once for a while now, but I knew precious little of his history. It's so difficult, dealing with him. He has absolutely no respect for authority and..."

"Canst thou blame him, sister, with the life he hath lived?" Luna responded. "He told thee a part of his history that haunts him to this day, and I hath bore witness to his memories of it first-hand. For all his life, he hath known only hate and indifference. Only here has he been given a chance to experience that which was denied him in his own world."

Celestia rubbed her forehead. "Get Twilight. Take her to his Palace; something tells me he will need her."

"What of Discord?" Luna asked. "Thou hast not yet told Vaati of thy decision to spare him."

"He will be told tomorrow," Celestia answered. "But for now, he needs his friend. Take her to him."

XXXXXX

 _Palace of Winds_...

Vaati, after ordering the Darknut guarding the door to allow no visitors inside, shut himself inside his bedchamber. None of the torches were lit, for the moonlight was casting its beams into the room through an open window. An opulent bed fit for royalty (which he had in fact stolen from Hyrule Castle a long time ago) took up a large corner of the room. The floor was covered by silk rugs depicting various patterns and designs. As Vaati stood in the middle of his room, he released a shuddering breath as his thoughts and emotions began to overwhelm him.

His bout with Discord had reawakened the primal beast within him. Since that moment, he had so desperately craved another release of that power that he had considered swatting aside his only friend like an annoying fly as well as outright _killing_ Celestia. He had thought he was over this, that he had fully given up on his more violent tendencies. This wasn't what retirement was supposed to be about.

He had come too close to utterly slipping away, unleashing his monstrous power on those who honestly didn't deserve it. In that moment, he had come close to ruining everything he had gained. He had nearly become that which he had sworn never to become again, and though he had not acted on his urges, the fact that he still had them distressed him.

He could have lost Twilight in his anger.

She had been the first to truly open up to him and think of him as a cherished friend. She had cared for him when all others had not passed him a second glance. The prospect of losing her actually made him feel physically ill. He didn't want to be alone. He had been alone for so long before.

Chip was right: he was a monster. He always had been.

The sorcerer hunkered down in an empty corner of the room and leaned against the wall, curling himself into a fetal position as he wept in silence, stewing in a hotbed of self-loathing.

XXXXXX

After awkwardly thanking Princess Luna for taking her to the Palace of Winds, Twilight trotted down the unusually empty halls, searching for Vaati's bedchamber. Occasionally she saw a Floormaster pass her by, crawling on rotted fingertips, or a Poe float overhead, its lantern casting a faint, ghostly light that unnerved the poor mare. But she continued on, intent on finding the sorcerer.

After a few more minutes of essentially dungeon-crawling through the expansive palace, Twilight finally reached the door to which she knew to be Vaati's bedchamber. A lone Darknut stood guard by the door, rigid as a statue. Swallowing her fear of the hulking monster, Twilight trotted up to the Darknut. "Excuse me, sir," she said. "Is Vaati in there?"

The Darknut's ponderous helm tilted ever so slightly down towards her. "Yes," it grunted. "And Lord Vaati has asked that no visitors disturb him."

Twilight frowned. "I need to see him, though."

"It can wait till tomorrow," the Darknut said curtly.

"No, I really don't think it can. Listen. Do you hear that?"

The Darknut quieted and strained its ears to listen. A very faint noise that almost sounded like a person crying could be heard through the other side of the door. The Darknut was confused and somewhat unsettled. "Master?" it questioned almost to itself.

"That is the sound of someone who really needs a friend right now," Twilight spoke sternly. "So please, step aside and let me in."

The Darknut shifted uncomfortably before nodding. "Very well, Lady Twilight. Go to him."

Twilight nodded appreciatively to the Darknut before enveloping the doorknob with her magic. She slowly opened the door, eliciting a long, drawn-out creak as she tentatively peered inside. "Hello?" Twilight whispered. "Vaati? Are you in here?"

There was no immediate answer. Twilight's ears pricked as she tried to pick up any faint sounds, and finally heard a quiet sniffling sound coming from the very back of the room. She couldn't see inside the room very well, for there were no lights save for the moonbeams that gave light to a square patch on the floor, revealing a fancy rug with unfamiliar designs on them. Braving the darkness, Twilight trotted into the room, shutting the door behind her. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she then saw the sorcerer huddled in a corner, his arms wrapped around his legs as he stared at the wall, tears flowing freely from his eyes.

Vaati didn't acknowledge her presence. Never before had Twilight seen the sorcerer in such a state, and the sad look in his eyes twisted her heartstrings in a knot. "Vaati?" Twilight tentatively asked.

Vaati did not look up at her or answer. Feeling she should continue, Twilight said, "I don't know what happened, but Princess Celestia said you needed a friend right now. Is...is there anything I can do to help?"

"...I could have hurt you today."

Twilight was not expecting that answer. "I...what?"

Vaati finally looked up at her, his expression one of utter shame. "What you saw today...that is what I truly am. I'm a monster."

Twilight's mind immediately returned to the image of the humongous, glaring Cyclops-beast in her path, the rage burning in its single eye, the sheer power surrounding it, and repressed a shudder. Vaati apparently noticed, for he said, "So you do not deny the hideousness of my true nature."

Twilight shoved that fearsome image aside and matched Vaati's gaze. "I don't deny that that was a very terrifying experience..." Vaati looked down again, ashamed. "...but you are _not_ a monster."

Vaati's gaze shot back up as he blinked in confusion. "Twilight, I had every intention of killing Discord when you got between us. I came _this close_ to hurting you in order to finish him off. I actually considered swatting you aside like a toy, which could have severely injured you had I given in to my urges. And then, when Celestia pressed me for more details surrounding my past, I almost assumed that form again. _I almost gave in to my urge to kill the Princess_."

To say this news unnerved Twilight would be an understatement, and for a moment, she took a small step back in hesitation. Vaati buried his face in his knees. "Chip was right," he whispered mostly to himself. "I'm a wretched, unlovable _monster_. I haven't changed at all."

At that moment, something occurred to Twilight. "Well...I don't think that's true."

Vaati scoffed bitterly as he sniffled. "The proof is in the pudding, Twilight."

"That's right, it is. But not in the way you think."

"What are you talking about?" Vaati tiredly demanded, his breakdown having left him feeling emotionally exhausted.

"You said it yourself; you had an urge to...hurt me and the Princess. But you proved that you've changed when you successfully defeated both those impulses. All you showed me was that you had a surge of power that clouded your sense of judgment, but when you were at the height of that power, when you were poised to kill somepony, you heard my voice...you saw my face...and you held yourself back. If I know enough about your past, you wouldn't have done that before you came here. You _have_ changed, Vaati, and you are _not_ a monster."

Vaati closed his eyes and softly exhaled. "Then what am I?"

Twilight sat down on her haunches next to the sorcerer and nuzzled his shoulder. "My friend," she answered.

Vaati could not think of a way to reply. He was too tired, but there was no denying the feeling of comfort worming its way into his heart as he leaned into Twilight. Realizing the sorcerer was falling asleep, Twilight did not push him away, but positioned herself underneath his head to act like a makeshift pillow as Vaati's body stretched out on the rug. She could hear soft snoring issuing from Vaati's mouth already. She smiled before looking up at his bed and igniting her horn, pulling off a pillow for herself and the bedspread, laying the large red blanket over the sleeping mage and resting her head on the pillow. "Goodnight, Vaati," she whispered soothingly before drifting off herself.

A few minutes later, the Darknut guard opened the door and peeked inside, wondering why he heard no more noise. When he saw his master asleep on the floor, his head propped up on Twilight's back like a pillow, the guard smiled and shut the door.

XXXXXX

 _The next morning_...

Vaati slowly awoke as he heard the bedchamber door shut. He groggily lifted his head up, stirring Twilight from her slumber as well. The little unicorn looked up at the mage and smiled. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Vaati's reply came out a barely-audible, garbled mess of unintelligible words as he sat up straight and rubbed his eyes. As the mage gathered his bearings, he mumbled, "Who was just in here?"

Twilight yawned before noticing something sitting on the bed, parts of it giving off steam. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "There's a tray of food up there! Wonder who left it for us..."

Vaati groaned as he stood up, his knees popping as he walked over to the tray of sliced apples, two slices of cheesecake, (a delicacy from Sugarcube Corner that Vaati had grown especially fond of) a plate of roasted cockatrice, and two mugs of freshly-squeezed apple juice and picked up a note sitting next to it and read it aloud. " _A little birdie told us you had a rough night last night. The Moblins insisted it wasn't something food couldn't fix, so we made you breakfast. I personally don't recommend the roasted cockatrice to Miss Twilight. Signed, Nigellas_."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Twilight said. "Your minions made us breakfast!"

Vaati cringed, but couldn't hide a light smirk. "This wouldn't happen in Hyrule."

"Well, I'm hungry! Let's eat!" Twilight eagerly pressed.

XXXXXX

 _Canterlot Castle, three hours later_...

Princess Celestia was surprised by the sound of the Throne Room door opening. Looking up from the document she had been reading, she noticed Twilight and Vaati entering the room. Twilight was smiling, but Vaati still had an unpleasant scowl on his face directed at Celestia. "Hello again, you two," Celestia greeted, nodding her head.

"Hello, Princess," Twilight cheerfully responded.

"...Well-met, Princess," Vaati grunted.

"I understand that last night was a trying moment for you, Vaati," Celestia said. "As such, I refrained from telling you the news about Discord until you were feeling better."

"News? What news?" Vaati asked suspiciously. "You did turn him back to stone or what-not, right?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. We did not."

Vaati had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, but he tried another option, hoping against hope that the situation wasn't what he thought it was. "Alright, then. Did you just kill him so this couldn't happen again?"

"I have decided to spare Discord," Celestia answered, "in the hopes that he can be reformed."

A heavy silence permeated the room. For many long moments, Vaati just stared at Celestia as if she had sprouted another head. "You...you're joking...right? Twilight, tell me she's joking."

"Uh...no, she actually isn't."

Vaati's eye twitched before he exploded. "PRINCESS, HAVE YOU TAKEN LEAVE OF YOUR SENSES?!"

Twilight cringed at the loudness of Vaati's angered voice. "You know what he's capable of, Celestia!" Vaati vehemently argued. "As long as he lives, he is a threat to Equestria! You yourself said he was one of your most powerful foes, and yet you want to give him a free pass for all the unrest he has caused?! How can you be so dull-witted?!"

"Discord's power has potential to do a lot of good for Equestria," Celestia answered calmly. "All he needs is to be shown the consequences his actions have on-!"

"This is nuts," Vaati interrupted. "You're all nuts."

The sorcerer turned on his heel and strode towards the door. "Vaati!" Twilight called after him.

Vaati didn't respond, slamming the door shut as he left. As it so happened, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were nearby, talking about unimportant things. Vaati approached them and curtly demanded, "Take me to Discord. _Now_."

"Can Ah at least hear a 'please'?" Applejack sourly replied.

Vaati's murderous glare was all the answer she needed. "Uh...right this way," Applejack tentatively replied.

"What's _your_ problem?" Rainbow asked.

"No questions. Take me to him."

XXXXXX

The two mares led Vaati to the Hospital Wing of the castle, where Discord was currently residing. Stopping outside his room, Applejack said, "He's in there. Don't do anythin' too rash."

Vaati grunted in response and walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. There lay the draconequus, covered from head to tail in bandages, his neck and appendages all wrapped in casts. Vaati sneered in disgust. As if sensing another presence in the room, Discord's eyes fluttered open and glanced towards him. When he finally realized who was in the room with him, Discord's eyes bugged out in their sockets from fright and the draconequus recoiled, instinctively trying to get away from the glaring sorcerer. The spirit of chaos gritted his teeth as the resulting movement sent waves of searing pain shooting down his body.

Vaati's sneer widened into a truly maniacal smirk as he approached the terrified spirit. "D-don't come any closer!" Discord weakly warned. "I'll turn that hair of yours into licorice!"

Vaati laughed mockingly and took another step towards Discord's bedside. "Go ahead. Try it. Humor me, god of chaos."

Discord tried to hide his fear behind a mask of pompousness as he lifted his eagle talon ever so slightly and snapped his fingers. There was no flash of magic, nor were there licorice dreadlocks cascading down Vaati's face. The sorcerer grinned in triumph as Discord immediately dropped his bravado and stared at his hand in shock. "W-what?" he gasped. "You took my magic?!"

"Actually, Celestia did that," Vaati nonchalantly corrected. "Either way, you're a rose without thorns now, Discord."

Discord managed to swallow his terror of the purple-clad magician and adopt a more neutral expression, trying to build back up his usual arrogant countenance. "What's Celestia playing at? Maybe she really _did_ miss me. Maybe she's already gotten tired of her dear sister again."

"The oh-so-exalted Princess has seen it fit to grant you a second chance," Vaati begrudgingly revealed. "She intends to... _reform_ you."

At this, Discord had to laugh. "Oh, really now? What's she gonna do, force me to endure six-hour-long lectures on the "magic of friendship" by one Twilight Sparkle? _Boring_."

"I really don't care what the Princess plans to do with you," Vaati snapped. "The fact remains that Celestia has made a very grave mistake, letting you live. Her reasons matter little to me; you don't deserve a second chance."

Discord couldn't stop himself from breaking out into a cold sweat at Vaati's menacing scowl. "Oh...and, uh...why do you say that?"

"You know why," Vaati coldly shot back. "You were a menace to society way back when, leaving the subjects in a perpetual state of misery. Secondly, your existence irks me."

"W-well, you can't really hold that blame over my head after a thousand years, can you?" Discord nervously replied. "You weren't even around a thousand years ago! That seems a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"You'll find that I am a harsh person," Vaati smirked evilly, eliciting a gulp from the defenseless draconequus.

"Vaati! There you are!" Twilight suddenly interrupted, walking into the room. "I've been looking all over for you!"

Vaati bared his teeth in aggravation. "You have awful timing, Twilight," he growled.

"Apparently not, since Discord's still in one piece," Twilight flatly replied. "Princess Celestia wanted me to tell you that you are forbidden from harming Discord in any way."

Discord sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness you came, Twilight Sparkle!" he cried in an over-dramatic fashion. "Oh, it was so horrible! He was threatening me and saying unkind words for absolutely no reason whatsoever!"

"Cut it out, Discord," Twilight curtly replied. "You probably pushed first."

Discord's fur bristled in indignation. "I did not!"

Vaati smirked in amusement before Twilight addressed him again. "Promise me you won't do anything to harm Discord."

Vaati rolled his eyes and sighed, holding up his right hand. "Alright, fine. I solemnly swear that I will not lay a finger on Discord again with the intention to harm him. There, happy?"

Twilight smiled. "Very. Now let's leave him alone. Fluttershy plans to visit him soon, so we should give them some privacy."

Vaati grumbled as he headed towards the door, letting Twilight go first. However, before she shut the door, the sorcerer flashed Discord one final glare brimming with malicious intent. The second the door closed, Discord released a shuddering breath.

XXXXXX

 _That evening_...

Vaati sat alone in the bedroom Celestia had given him in one of the towers, waiting until he was sure everyone else was asleep. Of course, not everyone would be; Luna and her guards were active during the night, but Vaati had no reason to be worried about them. Though they were attuned to the darkness, Princess Luna's thestrals would still be unable to detect the nasty surprise Vaati had in store for a certain spirit of chaos.

Once he was sure midnight had struck, Vaati conjured an invisible Eye Sentry, one only he could see and detect. The cyclops-bat squeaked in response to its summoning, eager to please its master. "A dangerous entity called Discord is staying in the castle infirmary," he explained to the critter. "The idiot Princess won't listen to reason, so we must be the ones to eliminate him. Find him, and do whatever you can to dispose of him. Sabotage the medical equipment keeping him alive."

The Sentry nodded in acknowledgement and flew off, phasing through the stone wall of the tower. Confident the Sentry would do its work, Vaati settled into his bed to get some sleep and hopefully ward off any suspicion.

Invisible to all eyes and detection spells, the flying eyeball flitted through the main part of Canterlot Castle, passing by numerous patrols of the unsuspecting Night Guards as it sought Discord. Finally the Eye Sentry found the room and discreetly phased through the wall, spying the draconequus lying in his hospital bed, fast asleep. Gods, that creature could snore. The Sentry then glanced at the beeping devices, to which wires were attached that connected to Discord's body.

Time to wreak havoc on chaos.

The Sentry flitted over towards the equipment, ready to imbue its essence into the devices and short-circuit them.

" _It would be an unwise course of action to do that_ ," an unexpected voice coldly warned from behind.

All of a sudden, the Sentry felt its shroud of invisibility dispel and squeaked in fright. Turning around, it saw Princess Luna glaring sternly at the creature. Afraid now that the Princess had seen it, the Sentry zipped out of the room, phasing through the wall like a ghost. Luna sighed in displeasure, knowing exactly who had sent it. Luna then teleported directly to Vaati's room, her arrival startling the sorcerer, who hadn't fallen asleep yet. "Vaati Picoru, we must have a word with thee," she spoke.

Vaati sat up in bed and forced an innocent smile. "Yes, Princess. What can I do for you in the dead of night?"

The Eye Sentry chose that moment to reenter the room, screeching in terror as it spotted Luna. "We are aware of thy attempt on Discord's life," the Moon Princess said, ignoring the Sentry. "Didst thou truly think we could not sense this creature of darkness's presence?"

Vaati frowned, realizing he had been caught red-handed. "We are just as attuned to the darkness as thee, Vaati," Luna continued. "This creature could not hide from us. Now tell us, why dost thou seek Discord's death?"

"Why do you _not_?" Vaati countered, getting out of bed and crossing his arms.

Luna sighed. "While we admit that Discord's past actions were...unpleasant, Celly believes he deserves a chance to redeem himself."

"Do you?"

Luna blinked. "What?"

"Do _you_ believe he deserves a second chance?"

Luna thought for a moment, then nodded her head. "Yes."

"Are you saying that just because your sister says that?"

"No. We believe he deserves a second chance as well because we were given that same chance despite what we...did in the past."

Vaati said nothing, prompting Luna to play her trump card. "Do not forget. Thou received a second chance as well."

Vaati frowned. "That's different."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Is it? Tell us how, then."

Vaati opened his mouth to reply, only to realize that he could not think of a response. How _were_ they different? Once upon a time, he, just like Discord, had been a feared villain. His name had been spoken only in hushed whispers, and chaos reigned every time he was released. The idea of redemption was unthinkable.

And yet, here in Equestria, he had found it. The innocent denizens of this world accepted him, forgave him for his past crimes, (at least those who knew of them) and opened themselves up to him. It was here that he had found peace, where his past life could not reach him.

It was here that he had discovered the wonderfully elusive concept of friendship.

What right did he have to deny Discord a second chance at life, when he had accepted that same offer before, under nearly identical circumstances?

It was then that he came to a startling revelation: he was now on the other side of the same situation, and he had a lesson to learn.

"I...I..." The sorcerer could not form coherent words as he sat back down on his bed. "I...don't know."

Luna smiled. "Thou hast just learned a valuable lesson in friendship, methinks."

Vaati looked up at her, ashamed to admit it. "Aye. Everyone deserves a second chance. It doesn't matter what one's done in the past. If they are willing to change, then they deserve a chance to show it. And who are you to disagree when you were once in that same boat?"

Luna's smile widened into an ecstatic grin. "Wait until we tell Tia! We taught Vaati a lesson in friendship!"

Vaati waved his hand dismissively and sighed before crawling back under his covers. "Yes, yes, good for you. Now please leave; it's after bloody midnight."

Luna nodded in understanding. "Sleep well, Vaati."

The Moon Princess then teleported away to resume her watch over the night, while Vaati slowly fell asleep, his dreams more peaceful than ever.

XXXXXX

 _The next morning, Hospital Wing_...

"You can't be serious, Celestia," Discord pouted, still unable to move much, though the healing sessions had allowed some of his casts to be removed. "I would try to have your head examined, but I already know I won't find much floating around inside that noggin of yours. You _actually_ think you can reform _me_? Ahahaha, perish the thought!"

Celestia pursed her lips in annoyance. "You're far too irresponsible for your own good, Discord. You need to learn how to turn your troublesome habits towards more productive things."

"I don't see how, considering you drained me of all my powers!" Discord countered. "Oh yes, that sends a real _positive_ message, Your Royal Pain."

"You will get your powers back little by little as time goes by. The more you improve, the more you will regain."

Discord grumbled irritably. "Really, Celestia. What do you expect me to do?"

"Using your cotton candy clouds and lollipop bushes to end world hunger would be an acceptable start," Celestia spoke with a raised eyebrow.

Discord scoffed. "How positively _boring_."

The two of them were interrupted an abrupt, "Ahem."

Discord's eyes widened in terror and Celestia turned her head as Vaati entered the room. "Ah, Vaati," Celestia greeted. "Just the one I wanted to see."

Vaati quirked an eyebrow in detached half-interest. "Is that so?"

"It seems Luna was able to teach you an important lesson in giving others the same chance you were given," Celestia answered matter-of-factly, eliciting an annoyed grunt from the mage. "And that is why you, along with Fluttershy, shall be the ones to teach Discord about the benefits of friendship."

Discord and Vaati's eyes bugged out in shock. "You _can't_ be serious," they simultaneously chorused.

Celestia smiled in her usual aggravatingly-benevolent way. "I know nopony else better qualified to teach Discord these lessons, for you have already faced the hardships he will endure. And Fluttershy's infinite kindness and patience will be of great help to you in taming him."

Realizing there was no way out of this, Vaati sighed and ran a hand through his hair, removing his cap with the other hand. "Alright. Since I somewhat doubt I'll be able to convince you otherwise, I'll help you in this most maddening of tasks."

Celestia nodded. "I think it's safe to say that you two got off on the wrong foot. I'll give you a few minutes of privacy to get properly acquainted."

Celestia then left the room. Discord warily regarded the quiet sorcerer, who sighed and sat down at the foot of his bed. "Since it seems I am stuck with you for the time being, I'm going to make something perfectly clear. I have _no faith whatsoever_ in you. As such, you will have to go above and beyond in learning your insipid lessons about friendship if you hope to impress me."

Discord groaned. "Mother Faust help me, I've been enslaved by Drill Sergeant Nasty."

"You don't know the half of it, creature of chaos," Vaati replied. "The princesses were right, though; I was in your position once, and I accepted their offer of friendship. I have no right to deny you the same opportunity. That said, I'm not going to tolerate the slightest bit of insubordination from you. I will be writing to Celestia on a regular basis concerning your progress. When you are fit to leave the castle, you will be staying at the Palace of Winds, where my servants and I can keep an eye on you. You will not leave the Palace without an escort, which will often include myself. And you will use whatever magic Celestia gives you back solely for the purpose of making yourself useful around Ponyville. Do we understand each other?"

Discord gulped. "All those limitations...all that _order_...you can't possibly be that cruel."

Vaati sneered. "Try me. I was that evil flying eyeball for well over five hundred years; I know a thing or two about cruelty."

Discord shivered uncontrollably at that awful memory. "But rest easy," Vaati continued. "You won't see it again unless you become dangerous."

Discord spent a few moments taking in everything that had transpired around him in the past ten minutes before finally asking, "So how exactly do you expect to actually go about "reforming" me?"

A very unhappy scowl dominated Vaati's facial features. "I have no fudging clue."


End file.
